Morbidity Pattern and Illness Variances among the Elderly seen in General Outpatient Department of Comprehensive Health Centre, Ukpo, South East Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The elderly constitute the fastest-growing age group globally, with a significant increase occurring in developing countries. They develop health deterioration due to increased incidence of chronic diseases, which leads to morbidity that poses challenges and burdens to the healthcare system. Objectives: This study sought to assess the morbidity pattern among elderly patients seen in the General Outpatient Department (GOPD) of a comprehensive health centre, Ukpo, in Anambra, South East, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of data from medical records of 140 elderly patients who visited the facility from January 1st 2016 to December 31st 2020. Information obtained included age, occupational status, place of domicile, and diagnosis. Data were analysed using the SPSS version 20 software package. Results: Out of 140 elderly patients seen within the study period, females accounted for 72.90%, and only 14.29% of the geriatric morbidity were due to communicable diseases, predominantly Malaria (14.3%). Their mean age and standard deviation was 75.6 ± 5.7 years. Diseases like Hypertension (37.1%) and Arthritis (23.6%) were the most common non-communicable diseases. Chi-square analysis showed a strong relationship between age and distribution of morbidities among the elderly population of this study (p<0.001). Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases like Hypertension, Arthritis, and Cataract were common in the elderly population of this study. There is a need to provide facilities to cater to the health needs of this special population.