Introduction: There is a dearth of data on the variety of outpatient neurological presentations
in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta region. Available reports on neurological presentations
in Nigeria tend to focus more on inpatients.
Method: To determine the pattern of neurological diseases seen at the outpatient neurology
clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, we reviewed the records of patients who
presented at the facility over a 2 year period.
Results: Five hundred and twenty three patients were seen at the outpatient neurology clinic,
accounting for 17.5% of all medical outpatient cases who presented during the 2 year period
reviewed. Male patients accounted for 56% of cases, while females made up 44%. The mean
age of the patients was 46.3 years ± 15.89, with an age range of 15 to 89 years. A hundred of
the patients (19.1%) were on post stroke follow up. Ninety (17.2%) of the cases had seizure
disorders, whereas patients with movement disorders accounted for 81 (15.5%) of the cases,
headaches, peripheral neuropathies, cranial nerve palsies and spondylosis made up 54 (10.3%),
33 (6.3%), 27 (5.2%) and 25 (4.8%) respectively.
Conclusion: Post stroke follow up visits, seizure disorders, movement disorders, headaches and
peripheral neuropathies; in a descending order, are the most common neurological outpatient
presentations at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.