Pattern of Neurological Diseases Among Children Admitted At The Pediatric Neurology Unit of A Tertiary Referral Hospital

BACKGROUND: Neurological disorders are commonly seen in children with developing countries being disproportionately more affected. In developing countries like Tanzania, neurological disorders are very challenging in terms of management and diagnosis mainly due to chronicity, late presentation and dearth of modern diagnostic modalities and manpower. This study demonstrates the pattern of neurological diseases among patients admitted at a neurology unit of a tertiary care hospital in Tanzania

METHODS: This was a retrospective hospital-based analysis of neurological disorders seen in the paediatric neurology unit of Muhimbili National Hospital Tanzania. All patients who were attended over one year, from August 2022 to August 2023 were recruited. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the results

RESULTS: A total of 802 patients aged 1 month to 16 years were admitted to the unit during the period under review. Of these, 404 children were diagnosed with neurological disorders with a prevalence of (50.4%). Those with neurological disorders had male: female ratio of 1.5:1, and the majority (62.8%) were younger than three years of age. The most common presenting complaints were seizures (44%) fever (32%) and developmental delay (15%). The most frequent neurological disorders diagnosed included cerebral palsy 127(30%), epilepsy 117(28%), meningitis/encephalitis and its complications 28 (6.7%) and hydrocephalus 25(6%). The overall mortality was 1.4%.

Conclusion. Cerebral palsy and epilepsy constitute the major neurological disorders among children admitted to a neurology unit in Tanzania.