Altered State of Consciousness in Adult Ethiopians: Analysis of Aetiological Factors

In a prospective study at Tikur Anbessa University Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 300 consecutive patients admitted with altered state of consciousness were evaluated. The most common causes were metabolic disorders (41.7%), infectious diseases (33.7%), and neurological conditions (21.3%). Hepatic encephalopathy was the single most frequent cause, found in 24.7% of patients. No definite diagnosis was reached in 3.3% of cases. The mortality rate was high, with 57.7% of patients dying. Age and disease patterns differed from those observed in Europe and North America.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY to determine the rela tive incidence of diseases causing altered state of consciousness in patients admitted to the medi cal wards of the Tikur Anbessa University Teaching Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was undertaken. 300 consecutive patients with altered state of consciousness were included in the study. The majority of patients were below 40 years of age. The causes for altered state of consciousness were metabolic in 125 (41.7%), infectious in 101 (33.7%) and neurological diseases in 64 (21.3%) patients. Hepatic encephalopathy, found in 74 patients (24.7%) was by far the commonest medical cause of altered state of consciousness. In 10 patients (3.3%) no definite diagnosis could be reached. 173 (57.7%) patients died. The age and disease patterns were found to be different from those seen in Europe and North America.