Prevalence of Comorbidities in the Urological Patients at the Former Military Teaching Hospital of Cotonou

Abstract

Background: Comorbidities are additive diseases and care burdens in urological patients. Determining the epidemiologic profile of comorbidities in urological patients in our setting may help us to better the management of urological disease. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities in urological patients. Patient and Method: We collected comorbidity, urological disease and demographic data in all urological patients managed at the former Military Teaching Hospital of Cotonou from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2020. We used the software R 4.2.2 to perform descriptive and bi-varied data analysis. Student’s t test was used to compare means. Results: The prevalence of comorbidities was 14.2%, i.e., 601 comorbidity-affected among 4242 patients. The comorbidities predominantly affected men: the sex ratio was 13:1. The presence of comorbidity was correlated with patients’ age (p < 0.001). The comorbidities observed in the 601 affected patients were hypertension (84.5%), diabetes (26.5%), asthma (2%), and heart failure (1.2%). Hypertension (p = 0.001) and asthma (p = 0.030) were correlated with age. No comorbidity was associated with gender. The comorbidities’ prevalence was highest in patients aged 40 - 80 years who presented urological diseases such as BPH (68.9%), Erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory disorders, overactive bladder (OAB) and neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD), renal cyst (5%), inguinal hernia (4.2%), urinary stones (2.8%), and prostate cancer (2.3%). Conclusion: The comorbidities’ prevalence was 14.2% in the urological patients. The main comorbidities were hypertension (84.5%) and diabetes mellitus (26.5%).