Table 2

Selected emergency clinical conditions and representative disease28

ConditionDisease examplesAssociated regional percentage of total death according to Global Burden of Disease
TraumaFalls, road injury, violence, burn7.15%
SepsisMalaria, PNA, neonatal sepsis, measles, HIV, meningitis, maternal sepsis32.6%
Acute respiratory compromiseLower respiratory infections, COPD, asthma10.97%
ShockDiarrhoeal disease6.82%
Altered mental statusSeizure, ingestion, diabetes2.68%
Pain Headache (stroke)
Abdominal pain (PUD, gastritis, appendicitis, gall bladder disease, ileus)
Chest pain (ischaemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease)
5.15%
1.3%
 6.8%
Obstetrical bleedingPostpartum haemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy0.79%
Total % of African Region Global Burden of Disease mortality addressed by emergency care74.26%
  • COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; PNA, pneumonia; PUD, peptic ulcer disease.