Profiling Disease Patterns Using ICD‐11 at a University Hospital in Ghana: A Retrospective Analysis of Cross‐Sectional Data From 2018 to 2021

Background and Aim: Over the years, disease classification has evolved from 10 classes to 2400 distinct diseases. The International List of Causes of Death became the name of the first standardized categorization of diseases. It was later extended to include coding for causes of morbidity and called the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). In sub-Saharan Africa, and in Ghana in particular, disease classification using ICD-11 has been limited. This study, therefore, aimed at profiling disease patterns in a student clinic at a Ghanaian university and to formally assess trends in disease incidence over time using count-based regression models. Methods: A retrospective review of clinical data was employed at the Students' Clinic of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. The data were described using frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, where necessary. The trend analysis covered 2018-2021, and disease categories were ranked in descending order. Negative binomial regression with an offset term (log of total annual clinic attendances) was used to assess temporal trends in disease burden. Results: A total of 107,393 patient records were analyzed with a mean age of 22.01 ( ± 4.03) years and a female preponderance. Certain infections or parasitic diseases (30.96% in 2018, 27.39% in 2019, 22.40% in 2020 and 26.14% in 2021), respiratory conditions (20.07% in 2018, 18.2% in 2019, 14.49% in 2020 and 14.31% in 2021), and symptoms, signs or clinical findings not elsewhere classified (10.49% in 2018, 11.85% in 2019, 13.98% in 2020 and 12.58% in 2021) were the top three most common causes of morbidity at the clinic. Significant increases were observed for mental, behavioral or neurodevelopmental disorder (IRR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.27-2.01), neoplasms (IRR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.46), and endocrine, nutritional or metabolic diseases (IRR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.39). Conclusion: Certain infections or parasitic diseases, respiratory conditions, and symptoms, signs, or clinical findings not elsewhere classified were common among students at the public university in Kumasi, Ghana. This provides essential data for public health and policy interventions.