Spectrum of Pediatric Endocrine Disorders at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Northwestern Nigeria: a five-year review

Abstract

In many developing countries, including Nigeria, non-communicable diseases, such as endocrine disorders, are not given much attention because of the enormous burden posed by infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and other childhood killer diseases. In addition, endocrine disorders are thought to be uncommon due to a lack of specialized screening facilities and trained healthcare professionals to diagnose and manage these endocrine diseases. This study aims at defining the burden of pediatric endocrine disorders (PEDs )in Kano. A review of records of children who presented at the pediatric endocrine unit of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital with pediatric endocrine disorders from 2018 to 2022 was carried out. A total of 6,314 new pediatric cases were seen during the study period, and 178 of these were pediatric endocrine disorders accounting for 2.8% of the total. The mean age of all the cases at presentation was 6.35±4.95 years, and male to female ratio was 1:1.3. Disorders of endocrine pancreas/lipids metabolism (68/178, 38%) were the commonest, followed by thyroid disorders (23/178, 12.9%) and pubertal disorders (16/178, 9%) respectively. Other disorders seen were calcium, phosphate metabolism, and bone disorders (15/178, 8.4%), syndromes (genetic syndromes/ multiple congenital abnormalities) with endocrine system involvement (13/178, 7.3%), adrenal disorders (10/178, 5.1%) and disorders of energy balance (6/178, 3.4%). More females presented with disorders of the pancreas/lipids, thyroid, precocious puberty, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The highest number of cases was seen in the last year of review, while the lowest was in the third year of review. Type 1 diabetes mellitus and disorders involving the thyroid gland, pubertal development, adrenal gland, and bone were the five leading groups of childhood endocrine disorders encountered in our clinical practice at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.