A 3-year review of neurologic admissions in University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria.

A 3 year review of neurologic admissions into the adult medical wards at the UCH, Ibadan, Nigeria between January 1998 and December 2000 is presented. The study design involved the scrutiny of the records of all the neurological admissions, male and female to the medical ward. The identified cases were then classified and only cases confirmed as neurological were further analysed. Stroke, predominantly non-hemorrhagic accounted for 50.4% of cases for the period of study. Stroke is therefore the most common cause of adult neurologic admissions on medical wards of UCH. Central nervous system infections, comprising mainly of tetanus and meningitis accounted for 14.2% (111) and 12.4% (97) of case respectively. The myelopathies were the cause of neurologic admissions in 8.1% (63) of cases followed by seizure disorders. Headache was the reason for admission in 0.9% (7) of cases. Parkinsons disease, hypertensive encephalopathy, Guillian Barne syndrome, seasonal ataxic neuropathy, cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis, normal pressure hydrocephalus were rarely the cause of admission. Similarly, dystonia, and cerebral malaria recorded 0.13% (1) of cases each. A case is made for the establishment of regional stroke units in Nigeria.