Morbidity Pattern in the Medical Wards of a Nigerian Teaching Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Morbidity patterns change due to emerging and re-emerging infections. Information obtained from alteration in patterns of morbidity is vital in structuring and providing safe health care services.

To determine disease patterns and highlight the prevalent disease entity in the medical wards at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was a retrospective study of 430 patient case records recruited between January 1st to 31st December 2020. The diagnosis was made during their hospital stay and classified using the International Classification of Disease Version 11. The demographics of the patients were also recorded in the data collection form. The data were analyzed descriptively.

A total of 430 case records were evaluated during the study period, and the final diagnoses were noted. The commonest diagnostic classes were diseases of the nervous system (90, 20.9%), diseases of the respiratory system (78, 18.1%), diseases of the digestive system (67, 15.6%), and diseases of the circulatory system (61, 14.2%). The least prevalent was neoplasm (1, 0.2%), and the most prevalent disease entity was hypertension (48.5%). There was a statistical significance between age and the number of morbidities (Χ²=79.0, p=<0.01), but there was no statistical significance between the gender of the patient and the international classification of disease version 11 (Χ²=16.9, p=0.12).

The study showed a higher trend in diseases of the nervous system during this period. Furthermore, this trend in morbidity appeared to be influenced by the number of morbidities, age, and gender.