The Increasing Burden of Infectious Diseases on Hospital Services at St Mary's Hospital Lacor, Gulu, Uganda

Type Journal Article - The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Title The Increasing Burden of Infectious Diseases on Hospital Services at St Mary's Hospital Lacor, Gulu, Uganda
Author(s)
Volume 64
Issue 3
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2001
Page numbers 154-158
URL http://www.ajtmh.org/content/64/3/154.full.pdf
Abstract
To evaluate the impact of infectious diseases on hospital services in Northern Uganda, a retrospective analysis of discharge records concerning 70,304 inpatients admitted to the Lacor Hospital (Gulu, Uganda) during the period 1992 1997 was performed. Children less than five years old represented 46.5% of the admissions, and the burden of infectious diseases on pediatric admissions increased over time, especially due to malaria and measles. Infectious diseases accounted for 7 of the 10 leading causes of admission. The most frequent cause was malaria (21.8% of total). The second leading infectious disease resulting in admission was respiratory tuberculosis (6.2%); given the long hospital stay, this is the most important disease in terms of hospital bed days (24.6%). Infectious diseases have represented a progressively heavy burden on hospital services, mostly due to pediatric admissions. Respiratory tuberculosis and malaria represent nearly one-third of the overall burden in terms of hospital bed days.

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