Clinical features and Outcome of Neonatal Conditions at El-Obeid Paediatric Specialized Hospital, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Neonatal mortality accounts for 46% of under-five deaths worldwide. In Sudan, the neonatal mortality rate is 29.4 per 1000 live births. Aim: To determine the clinical characteristics and outcome of neonates admitted to El-Obeid Specialized Pediatrics Hospital in Western Sudan. Methods: Retrospective, descriptive hospital-based study. Data were collected from the medical records of newborns admitted to the hospital between January 2015 and July 2018. Relevant socio-demographic and clinical information was collected on a prepared standard form. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to summarize the study variables. Results: A total of 1,662 neonates were enrolled during the specified period. About 56% of the cases were male. Neonatal sepsis was the most common clinical condition, occurring in 83.4% of cases. Most cases (88.3%) presented with fever and 28.7% had jaundice. The overall mortality was 2.3%, of which about a quarter occurred within the first week after birth. Conclusion: Neonatal morbidity and mortality still account for a large proportion of the burden of disease in children under 5 years of age. Identifying the risk factors associated with neonatal death is very important to guide the development of effective interventions to reduce neonatal mortality.