MORTALITY PATTERN

NISHTAR HOSPITAL MULTAN

Abstract

Introduction: Health planning requires reliable information about rates, ages and causes of mortality
in the different sections of society. Precise and reliable information of this nature is lacking in our country because of
under reporting of births and deaths, poor recall of data and age at death and inability in determining the exact cause
of death. Objective: To assess the frequency of mortality caused by different diseases in medical and allied units.
Setting: Medical units and allied specialties wards of Nishtar Hospital, Multan. Duration: From 1st January 2001 to 31st
December 2001. Study Design: A descriptive/Analytic study. Materials & Methods: 1017 patients who died in the year
2001 were included. Results: The male patients who died in one year were 648(63.7%) and female deaths that
occurred in one year were 369(36.3%). Most of the deaths were caused by ischemic heart disease. It was responsible
for 320 deaths (32%). Another important cause of death was cerebrovascular accident responsible for 204 deaths
(20.05%). Chronic liver disease ranked on 3rd number causing 146 deaths (14.35%). Chronic renal failure on 4th number
causing 87 deaths (8.5%). On 5th number malignancies causing 62(6.09%) deaths. Meningitis occupied 6th number
causing 59(5.8%) deaths. On 7th number, pulmonary tuberculosis causing 31(3.04%) deaths. On 8th number acute renal
failure causing 29(2.85%) deaths. Then cerebral malaria on 9th number causing 20(1.96%) deaths. COPD causing 17
deaths (1.67%). Septicemia causing 15 deaths (1.47%) and on 11th number. On 12th and 13th number, pneumonia
causing 14 deaths (1.37%) and poisoning causing 13 deaths (1.27%) of total mortality respectively. Conclusion: It has
been concluded that major killers in this area are ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular accidents, chronic liver
diseases and chronic renal failure. So major part of health resources should be spent to decrease the mortality caused
by these diseases.