Abstract
BackgroundThe reduction of childhood mortality is a reliable indicator of a national health system's progress and improvement. Sudan's population is still suffering from communicable diseases, with a considerably higher mortality rate among children. Efforts are therefore needed to reduce mortality and achieve the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals. This study was conducted to determine the morbidity, mortality and outcomes of children admitted to Gadarif Hospital in eastern Sudan.MethodA retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the medical files of pediatric patients who were admitted to Gadarif Hospital between March 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.ResultA total of 740 medical files were reviewed. Most, 453 (61.2%) of the admissions were males. The median (interquartile range) age was 3.0 (8.0) years and 433 (58.8%) of the admissions were under 5 years of age. The median (interquartile range) of the length of hospital stay was 9.0 (12.0) days. Visceral leishmaniasis, malnutrition, severe malaria, sickle cell disease, acute watery diarrhea, severe anemia (regardless of its cause), septicemia and acute respiratory infection were the most common causes of admission. The mortality rate was 5.7%, and it was significantly higher in females than males [24/287 (8.4%) vs. 18/453 (4.0%), P = 0.01] and in children under 5 years [36/433 (8.3%) vs. 6/307 (2.0%), P < 0.001]. Malnutrition, visceral leishmaniasis, septicemia and meningitis/encephalitis were the main diseases causing death in the study population. The case fatality rate was not significantly different in malnutrition than in visceral leishmaniasis [9/93 (9.7%) vs. 7/178 (3.9%), P = 0.05].ConclusionThe main causes of morbidity and mortality for children admitted to Gadarif Pediatric Hospital were communicable diseases. The mortality rate was 5.7%. Females and children under 5 years were the most vulnerable groups for fatality.
Highlights
Childhood mortality is an essential indicator to monitor child health
Despite the shift in the causes of mortality toward noncommunicable diseases, communicable diseases remain the major causes of mortality and morbidity in middle- and lowincome countries [4]
This study aimed to determine the patterns of morbidity and mortality and their predictors among children admitted to Gadarif Hospital in eastern Sudan
Summary
Childhood mortality is an essential indicator to monitor child health. Mortality indicators are still considered a starting point for health status evaluation even after marked declines in mortality rates [1]. In Africa, infections and communicable diseases are the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality [3]. Further efforts are required to evaluate morbidities and mortalities in these age groups in order to improve outcomes. Previous studies have reported a significant variation in the leading causes of mortality between regions, gender, and age groups [4, 12]. There is a high rate (58.4 deaths per 1,000 live births) of childhood mortality in Sudan [13], which is one of the “least developed” countries in Africa. This study aimed to determine the patterns of morbidity and mortality and their predictors among children admitted to Gadarif Hospital in eastern Sudan. This study was conducted to determine the morbidity, mortality and outcomes of children admitted to Gadarif Hospital in eastern Sudan
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