Pattern of Patient Presentation to the General Surgery Unit of a Tertiary Health Care Centre in a Developing Country

Background: Not much has been published on the surgical burden in Africa. This study describes the pattern and distribution of surgical conditions treated by the general surgery division in a Nigerian tertiary hospital.
Method: This was a retrospective study over thirty months. All patients treated by the general surgery divisions of the hospital were included in this study.
Results: A total of 5631 new patients were seen over the period. Male: Female sex ratio was 1: 1.35 with a mean age of 39.6 years. malignant conditions accounted for 22.7% while 74.6% were benign. Breast carcinoma was the commonest malignancy in females. The commonest malignancy in males was abdominal (gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and retroperitoneal).
Conclusion: Patients are getting increasingly educated. Appropriate manpower training is required so that tertiary hospitals are not encumbered by mundane surgical conditions .Specialty clinics for hernias, breast, gastrointestinal malignancy and anorectal conditions should be considered.