PATTERN AND OUTCOME OF TETANUS IN A TERTIARY HEALTH FACILITY IN NORTH WEST NIGERIA
Tetanus, a disease that is largely preventable, is still a major public health problem in the developing world and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of published literature on adult (non-neonatal) tetanus in this study area in Nigeria. This was a study describing th...
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Published in | Ethiopian medical journal Vol. 54; no. 2; p. 69 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Ethiopia
01.04.2016
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get more information |
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Summary: | Tetanus, a disease that is largely preventable, is still a major public health problem in the developing world and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of published literature on adult (non-neonatal) tetanus in this study area in Nigeria.
This was a study describing the clinical characteristics of patients who were clinically diagnosed with tetanus in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, northwest of Nigeria between January 2001 and December 2014.
A total of 91 cases were reviewed. The mean patient age was 20 years, and male to female ratio 2.9:1. The majority (88%) of patients were < 40 years old. The mean onset period was 19 days, nearly all patients (96.7%) had generalized tetanus, and the commonest presenting signs were spasm (93.4%) and trimus (78.0%). The most common site of injury was lower limbs (64.8% of cases). The complication rate was 71.4% and case fatality was 48.4%.
Tetanus is still a major public health problem in our setting and affects the younger age group with a high case fatality rate. The incidence of tetanus can be reduced drastically by an effective and sustained immunization program. |
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ISSN: | 0014-1755 |