Disease patterns in Indian South Africans

Area of Science:

• Medical Science
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• R. K. Khan Hospital serves the Indian population in Durban.
• A 10-year period of patient data was analyzed.
• Understanding disease patterns is crucial for healthcare planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report personal experience at R. K. Khan Hospital.
• To present diagnoses and their frequencies in admitted patients.
• To compare disease patterns between Indian and Black patient groups.

Main Methods:

• Review of 31,101 patient case records.
• Analysis of diagnoses on admission.
• Comparison of disease prevalence based on population group.

Main Results:

• Detailed diagnoses and frequencies were identified.
• Degenerative diseases were found to be more common than infections.
• Significant differences in disease patterns were observed compared to Black patients.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights a higher incidence of degenerative diseases in the Indian population served by the hospital.
• Findings suggest distinct epidemiological profiles between different population groups.
• This data can inform targeted health interventions and resource allocation.