title: Social demographic characteristics of women with pelvic organ prolapse at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence, social demographic characteristics and types of pelvic organ prolapse that patients present with at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study of pelvic organ prolapses at the Tamale Teaching Hospital from 1(st) January 2010 to 31(st) December 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 118 pelvic organ prolapse cases constituted (2.68%) of the 4403 gynaecological out-patient cases seen during the two year study period. The mean age and standard deviation was (45.9± 15.1) and the modal age group was 30-39 years with 32 (27.1%) of cases. There were 112 (94.9%) cases of uterine prolapse, 95 (80.5%) had cystocele, 16 (13.5%) patients had rectoceles and 3 (2.5%) had enterocele. Their main occupations were trading 66 (55.9%) and farming 44 (37.3%), seventy (62.5%) of the patients with uterine prolapse were premenopausal while (10) 14.3% of the premenopausal cases had an ongoing pregnancy. The parity ranged from zero to 13 with mean and standard deviation of (4.4±1.7). Fifty five (46.6%) were from the Tamale metropolis and only 12 (10.5%) had all their deliveries in hospital. The commonest complication was decubitus ulcer present in 20 (16.9%) patients, 16(80%) of it in patients with procedentia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pelvic organ prolapse is not a rare gynaecological condition at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. The patients are relatively young and are from various districts in the northern region. Some occupational, socio-cultural practices and reproductive characteristics may be contributory to severity of pelvic organ prolapse.
authors.affiliation: University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gumanga
authors.affiliation: University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munkaila
authors.affiliation: University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Malechi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D052858:Cystocele / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006547:Hernia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006700:Home Childbirth / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010298:Parity; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D020047:Rectocele / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Pelvic organ prolapse; Social demographic characteristics; Tamale Teaching Hospital; uterine prolapse