Ten-year mortality review in a pioneer psychiatric hospital in West Africa.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the mortality among admitted patients in the study centre, a pioneer psychiatric facility in the West African sub-region.


METHODS
A detailed retrospective study of the records of all deaths among the inpatients during the ten-year period of January, 1991 to December, 2000.


METHODS
Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria; established in 1907 with present bed status of 535 and patronage from Lagos and it's environ, including the neighbouring Benin Republic.


METHODS
Ninety six patients that died while on admission in the centre during the study period.


RESULTS
A total of 96 patients died over the ten-year period, giving an annual rate of 9.6. The age range was 14-87 years, and mean of 44.4 (SD +/- 16.8) years. The male: female ratio was 1:1.6. Schizophrenia (26%) and major depression (25%) constituted the main psychiatric diagnoses at the time of admission among the cohort. The commonest cause of death included infections/infestations, most especially malaria and septicaemia (44% of the cohort).


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that the major psychotic disorders, schizophrenia and depression continue to constitute the highest psychopathologies diagnosed psychiatric mortality study. Finally, infections/infestations still continue to play leading role as major causes of death in the West African sub-region.
Malomo
I O
IO
Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. Nigeria.
Aina
O F
OF
Ladapo
H T O
HT
Owoeye
A O
AO
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution