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 inEthiopian medical journal Vol. 54; no. 2; p. 69
Main Authors Aliyu, Alhaji, Dahiru, Tukur, Obiako, Reginald O, Amadu, Lawal, Biliaminu, Lawal B, Akase, Ephraim I
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ethiopia 01.04.2016
Subjects
Adult
Female
Hospitals, University
Humans
Incidence
Male
Nigeria - epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Tetanus - epidemiology
Young Adult
Nigeria
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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.
ISSN:0014-1755