Excess mortality among people with podoconiosis: secondary analysis of two Ethiopian cohorts
Masraf H., Azemeraw T., Molla M., Jones CI., Bremner S., Ngari M., Berkley JA., Kivaya E., Fegan G., Tamiru A., Kelemework A., Lang T., Newport MJ., Davey G.
Abstract Background While morbidity attributable to podoconiosis is relatively well studied, its pattern of mortality has not been established. Methods We compared the age-standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) of two datasets from northern Ethiopia: podoconiosis patients enrolled in a 1-y trial and a Health and Demographic Surveillance System cohort. Results The annual crude mortality rate per 1000 population for podoconiosis patients was 28.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.3 to 44.8; n=663) while that of the general population was 2.8 (95% CI 2.3 to 3.4; n=44 095). The overall SMR for the study period was 6.0 (95% CI 3.6 to 9.4). Conclusions Podoconiosis patients experience elevated mortality compared with the general population and further research is required to understand the reasons.