title: Common geriatric morbidity from communicable diseases in a rural hospital in Eastern Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The geriatric health, wellness and illness states in Nigeria are largely influenced by communicable diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was aimed at describing the pattern of common geriatric morbidity from communicable diseases in a rural hospital in Eastern Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a descriptive hospital-based study carried out from June 2008 to June 2010 on geriatric patients at St Vincent De Paul Hospital, Amurie-Omanze, a rural Mission General Hospital in Imo state. The data collected included age, sex and diagnoses made.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight hundred and seventy two patients out of a total patient population of 9885 were 65 years and above. The geriatric patients' constituted 8.8% of total patients' population. Out of these, 530 (60.8%) had communicable diseases consisting of 235 males and 295 females with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.3. The top five communicable diseases were malaria (67.1%), skin infections (43.6%), urinary tract infections (36.0%), intestinal helminthiasis (20.6%) and gastroenteritis (17.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that geriatric patients suffer acute and chronic communicable diseases with the commonest being malaria, skin infections, urinary tract infections and neglected tropical disease such as ascariasis and hookworm infestation. Effective measures are needed to control the scourge of communicable diseases which are largely preventable among the elderly patients particularly in rural Nigeria.
authors: Department of Family Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Abia state, Nigeria. ilohgup2009@yahoo.com
authors: G U P
authors: GU
authors: Iloh
authors: C E
authors: CE
authors: Obikwu
authors: A N
authors: AN
authors: Amadi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology