Spectrum of Urological Cases in a West African Tertiary Hospital

CONTEXT: Urological diseases vary from one geographical location to another worldwide. The knowledge of their distribution in each location could determine local workforce and facility needs and as well guide the areas of subspecialization. AIMS: The aim of this study is to document the annual frequency and distribution of urological diseases at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional retrospective study from January 2016 to December 2016 of all new patients seen at the urology outpatient clinic, emergency department as well as inpatient referrals from other departments of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relevant records were extracted from the patient's case notes and entered into a semistructured questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: A total of 607 new patients were seen over the study period. There were 576 (94.9%) males and 31 (5.1%) females, with a male-to-female ratio of 18.6:1. The median age was 45 years, with age range of 1–106 years. Urological emergencies were seen in 35.0% patients. Ninety-one percent of cases were acquired, whereas 8.2% were of congenital etiology. Overall, the most commonly diagnosed urologic diseases among new patients in order of decreasing frequency were benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) (18.6%), bladder tumor (11.8%), upper tract urinary calculi (10.3%), urethral stricture (8.9%), and prostate adenocarcinoma (7.4%). CONCLUSIONS: BPE, bladder tumor, upper tract urinary calculi, urethral stricture, and prostate adenocarcinoma are common in our environment. Knowledge of these diseases distribution may guide service expansion and workforce needs, inspire subspecialization as well as direct research and government policy in this community. Nongovernmental organizations wanting to have impact will be suitably directed.