The spectrum of heart disease among adults at the Bamenda Regional Hospital, North west Cameroon: a semi urban setting

Abstract

Abstract Objective We sought to determine the spectrum of heart diseases among adult patients at the Bamenda Regional Hospital in the North West Region of Cameroon. This is a chart review of echocardiographic records. Results In total, 673 records were included in our study, of which 506 had a definite heart disease. Of the 506, 93 had mixed cardiopathies. Their ages ranged from 18 to 105 years with a median age of 64.0 (Interquartile range = 47–75) years. Females accounted for a greater proportion (55.3%) of the study population. The most common echocardiographic diagnoses were hypertensive heart disease (41.1%), valvular heart disease (22.3%) and cardiomyopathies (11.4%). The prevalence of heart failure was 17.5%, with hypertensive heart disease being the leading cause.

Keywords

• Heart disease
• Aetiologies
• Mixed cardiopathies
• Heart failure
• Bamenda
• Cameroon