Study of the relation of clinical and demographic factors with morbidity in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India

BACKGROUND: The emergency department of every tertiary care teaching hospital is the backbone of community health care service. AIMS: This study was undertaken to identify the pattern of emergencies in the hospital, and to identify the risk factors associated with these emergencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective record analysis of the emergency department from Jan 2010 to Dec 2010. The data were analyzed for various types of medical emergencies presented at the hospital at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot. RESULTS: A total of 2310 patients presented in the emergency department of which nearly half were males; a great majority were in the age group of 15–40 years. The diseases related to the cardiovascular system, 367 (15.89%), topped the list of which hypertension was noted in 267 (11.56%) cases. This was followed by morbidities related to the neurological system, diabetes, hepatobiliary, respiratory, renal 168 (7.27%), poisoning, pyrexia of unknown origin, and multi-organ involvement. With regard to the specific diseases, the majority were contributed by coronary artery disease 217 (9.39%), stroke 178 (7.71%), alcoholic liver disease 160 (6.93%), and chronic obstructive lung diseases 90 (3.90%). In our series, we noted that a great majority of cases were in the 41–60 age groups except poisoning (majority less than 40 years). The age groups were significantly related with selected morbidities. CONCLUSIONS: There are transparent evidence that we need an organized emergency care system in India as relatively the younger age group (15–40 years) comprised nearly half cases.