Cardiovascular Disease Spectrum and Mortality in the Medical Wards of University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital: A 5-Year Review

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality globally. Approximately 80% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where preventive health practices are poor or non-existent. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of cardiovascular disease admissions and mortality over a 5-year period in a tertiary hospital in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Methods: Admissions records of patients admitted into the medical wards within the study period (January 2017 to December 2021) were reviewed and relevant information pertaining to the study objectives was retrieved for analysis. Data obtained from the records were the age, sex, final diagnosis, co-morbidities, duration of admission and outcome.

Results: There were a total of 1901 cardiovascular admissions with a male to female ratio of 1.3 to 1. Cardiovascular mortality was also higher in males with a ratio of 1.0 to 0.9. Cerebrovascular accident accounted for 44.9% of total admissions which was closely followed by heart failure (39.4%), hypertensive crises (10.2%) and pulmonary embolism also accounted for 3.5% of cases. Acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmias, pericarditis, and peripheral vascular disease accounted collectively for less than 2% of cases. Cardiovascular related mortality accounted for 20.6% over the 5-year study period. Males had significantly higher cases of heart failure during the study period.

Conclusion: A high burden of cardiovascular disease related admissions and mortality was found with an exponential increase over the 5-year study period. Cerebrovascular accident and heart failure accounted for the commonest cause of CV mortality. Preventive measures to reduce the burden of CV disease is essential to curtail this growing menace.