The Pattern of Neurological Conditions in a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria: Six Years Experience in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Background: Neurological disorders constitute major causes of morbidity, and globally, they are the leading causes of death. There is a dearth of neurologists in most African countries and the very few available ones are concentrated in urban areas. The cardiovascular risk factors responsible for most cases of acute and chronic neurological disorders are also prevalent in rural areas. Therefore, there is a need to observe the pattern of these disorders in the rural areas too, to appreciate the disease burden as it would help in the judicious allocation of human and other healthcare resources.

Methodology: We reviewed the case files of patients seen at the neurology clinic and admitted via the emergency department into the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, over a period of 6 years (2016 to 2021).

Results: A total of 881 patients were seen during the study period, and they were mostly elderly male patients with chronic disorders in which stroke was the most common neurological disorder (44.9%) followed by seizure disorder (13.1%), and neurodegenerative disorders (9.9%). Tumors and myopathies were the least seen disorders.

Conclusions: Health literacy on cardiovascular risk factors and even distribution of manpower and material resources will help reduce the burden of neurological disorders among the attendees of the Ekiti tertiary health institution.

背景：神经系统疾病（neurological disorders）是发病率的主要原因之一，且在全球范围内是首要死因。大多数非洲国家神经科医生匮乏，仅有的少数医生也集中在城市地区。导致大多数急慢性神经系统疾病的心血管危险因素（cardiovascular risk factors）在农村地区同样普遍存在。因此，有必要观察农村地区这些疾病的分布模式，以充分了解疾病负担，从而有助于合理分配人力及其他医疗资源。

方法：我们回顾了2016至2021年6年间在伊多-埃基蒂联邦教学医院（Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti）神经科门诊就诊及通过急诊科入院的患者病例档案。

结果：研究期间共纳入881例患者，其中大多数为患有慢性疾病的老年男性；最常见的神经系统疾病为脑卒中（stroke）（44.9%），其次为癫痫障碍（seizure disorder）（13.1%）和神经退行性疾病（neurodegenerative disorders）（9.9%）。肿瘤和肌病（myopathies）是最少见的疾病类型。

结论：提高公众对心血管危险因素的健康素养，以及均衡分配人力和物资资源，将有助于减轻埃基蒂地区三级医疗机构就诊人群中的神经系统疾病负担。