Two dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of patients presenting at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex Ile Ife Nigeria a prospective study of 2501 subjects

Rasaaq Ayodele Adebayo,¹ Patience Olayinka Akinwusi,² Michael Olabode Balogun,¹ Anthony Olubunmi Akintomide,¹ Victor Oladeji Adeyeye,¹ Olugbenga Olusola Abiodun,¹ Luqman Adeleke Bisiriyu,³ Suraj Adefabi Ogunyemi,¹ Ebenezer Adekunle Ajayi,⁴ Olufemi Eyitayo Ajayi,¹ Adebayo Tolulope Oyedeji<sup>5

1</sup>Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, ²Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, ³Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, ⁴Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, ⁵Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Background: Echocardiography remains a key noninvasive cardiac investigative tool in the management of patients, especially in a developing economy like Nigeria. In this study, we investigated the indications for transthoracic echocardiography and spectrum of cardiac disease found in patients referred to our cardiac unit for echocardiography.
Methods: A prospective two-dimensional, pulsed, continuous, and color-flow Doppler echocardiographic evaluation was done using the transthoracic approach in 2501 patients over an eight-year period. Univariate data analysis was performed for mean age, gender, clinical indications, and diagnoses.
Results: The subject age range was less than 12 months to 97 years (mean 52.39 years). There were 1352 (54.06%) males and 1149 (45.94%) females. The most common indication for echocardiography was hypertension (52.1%) followed by congestive cardiac failure (13.9%). Others were for screening (6.1%), arrhythmias (5%), cerebrovascular disease (5%), chest pain (3.3%), chronic kidney disease (3.2%), congenital heart disease (2.6%), cardiomyopathy (1.8%), rheumatic heart disease (1.7%), diabetes mellitus (1.3%), thyrocardiac disease (1.2%), ischemic heart disease (1.2%), and pericardial disease (1.1%). The echocardiographic diagnosis was hypertensive heart disease in 59.4% of subjects and normal in 14.1%. Other echocardiographic diagnoses included rheumatic heart disease (3.1%), congenital heart disease (2.1%), cardiomyopathy (1.7%), pericardial disease (1.1%), and ischemic heart disease (0.1%).
Conclusion: Hypertension and its cardiac complications is the most common echocardiographic indication and diagnosis at our unit.

Keywords: echocardiography, cardiac diseases, prospective, indications, diagnosis, Nigeria