Post Covid-19 Leading Causes of In-Hospital Mortality in Abuja: Implications for Public Health Interventions

Reliable cause-of-death information is essential for public health planning, yet mortality surveillance remains weak in many low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, due to gaps in civil registration and vital statistics systems. In Abuja, centralized mortuary records may provide a useful alternative source for characterizing in-hospital mortality patterns, especially in the post–COVID-19 period. This study determined the leading causes of in-hospital mortality recorded at Garki Mortuary, Abuja, and examined their distribution by key demographic characteristics, with implications for public health interventions and health-system planning. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using secondary mortuary and death certificate records of 411 in-hospital deaths deposited at Garki Mortuary between 2020 and 2024. Extracted variables included age, sex, occupation, geopolitical zone, and recorded cause of death. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Version 26). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and proportions) summarized mortality patterns. Cross-tabulations assessed sex and cause-of-death distribution, while a chi-square test evaluated association between age group and cause of death at a 5% significance level. Of the 411 deaths, 59.9% were males and 40.1% females. Mortality was highest among individuals aged 51–75 years (50.9%), followed by 26–50 years (34.8%). The leading causes of death were predominantly non-communicable diseases: hypertension (29.7%), brain disease (12.9%), kidney disease (12.4%), cancer (12.2%), heart disease (8.8%), and diabetes mellitus (6.8%). Infectious diseases accounted for 5.8% of deaths. There was no statistically significant association between age group and cause of death (χ² = 7.737, df = 11, p = 0.737). In-hospital mortality in Abuja during the study period was dominated by non-communicable diseases particularly hypertension and its complications affecting mainly older adults but with a notable burden among working-age adults. Strengthening NCD prevention, early detection, and chronic disease management, alongside improved routine mortality surveillance through integrated hospital–mortuary data systems, may reduce preventable deaths in the FCT.