Resumen de Prevalencia de trastornos siquiátricos en hombres y mujeres hospitalizados en un Servicio de Medicina Interna de un hospital de Santiago de Chile
Guillermo Hernández G, Carolina Ibáñez H, Mónica Kimelman J, Gricel Orellana V, Olga Montino R, Carlos Nuñez M
Background: Mental disorders may interfere, aggravate or mimic medical conditions. Aim: To study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among patients hospitalized in a medical ward of a general hospital. Patients and methods: A structured interview for DSM-III, devised for "non patients", was applied to 203 men and 203 women, aged 11 to 90 years old, hospitalized in an internal medicine service of a public hospital. Thirty four psychiatric conditions that can be discriminated with the instrument and others that complied with DSM-III criteria, were investigated. Results: There was a 60% prevalence of mental disorders among men (alcohol dependency in 26%, delirium or dementia in 10.8%, anxiety disorders in 10.4%, major depression in 7.8% and adaptation disorders in 3%). Among women, the prevalence of mental disorders was 65% (major depression in 23.2%, anxiety disorders in 14.3%, adaptation disorders in 8.4%, dementia in 5.6%, delirium in 3% and alcohol dependency in 2.5%). Most conditions were of moderate or mild intensity. Two or more conditions coexisted in 40% of cases. Only in 8% of these subjects, a psychiatric consultation was requested. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of psychiatric disorders among medical patients. These must be adequately diagnosed and treated (Rev Méd Chile 2001; 129: 1279-88)
