Browsing by Author "Accorsi, Sandro"

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    Differences in hospital admissions for males and females in northern Uganda in the period 1992—2004: a consideration of gender and sex differences in health care use
    (Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2007) Accorsi, Sandro; Fabiani, Massimo; Nattabi, Barbara; Ferrarese, Nicoletta; Corrado, Bruno; Iris, Robert; Ayella, Emintone O.; Pido, Bongomin; Yoti, Zabulon; Corti, Dominique; Ogwang, Martin; Declich, Silvia
    To inform our understanding of male and female health care use, we assessed sex differences in hospital admissions by diagnosis and for in-patient mortality using discharge records for 210 319 patients admitted to the Lacor Hospital in northern Uganda in the period 1992—2004. These differences were interpreted using a gender framework. The overall number of admissions was similar by sex, yet differences emerged among age groups. In children (0—14 years), malaria was the leading cause of admission, and the distribution of diseases was similar between sexes. Among 15—44 year olds, females had more admissions, overall, and for malaria, cancer and anaemia, in addition to delivery and gynaeco-obstetrical conditions (25.7% of female admissions). Males had more admissions for injuries, liver disease and tuberculosis in the same age group. In older persons (≥45 years), women had more admissions for cancer, hypertension, malaria and diarrhoea, while, as for the previous age group, males had more admissions for injuries, liver disease and tuberculosis. This study provides insight into sex- and gender-related differences in health. The analysis and documentation of these differences are crucial for improving service delivery and for assessing the achievement of the dual goals of improving health status and reducing health inequalities.
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    Impact of insecurity, the AIDS epidemic, and poverty on population health: disease patterns and trends in Northern Uganda.
    (The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2001) Accorsi, Sandro; Fabiani, Massimo; Lukwiya, Matthew; Ravera, Maurizio; Ojom, Lawrence; Manenti, Fabio; Anguzu, Patrick; Dente, Maria G.; Declich, Silvia
    A retrospective analysis of the discharge records of 186,131 inpatients admitted to six Ugandan hospitals during 1992–1998 was performed to describe the disease patterns and trends among the population of Northern Uganda. In all hospitals, malaria was the leading cause of admission and the frequency of admissions for malaria showed the greatest increase. Other conditions, such as malnutrition and injuries, mainly increased in the sites affected by civil conflict and massive population displacement. Tuberculosis accounted for the highest burden on hospital services (approximately one-fourth of the total bed-days), though it showed a stable trend over time. A stable trend was also observed for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is in contrast to the hypothesis that AIDS patients have displaced other patients in recent years. In conclusion, preventable and/or treatable communicable diseases, mainly those related to poverty and poor hygiene, represent the leading causes of admission and death, reflecting the socioeconomic disruption in Northern Uganda.