Professional paper

Number of hospitalization due to dementias and organic psychosyndrome at Zadar General Hospital Psychiatric Ward in the last 20 years

Ante Gilić ; Zadar General Hospital, Psychiatry Department
Robert Perinčić ; Zadar General Hospital, Psychiatric Department
Ilona Kovač ; Zadar General Hospital, Psychiatric Department

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization report on the state of mental health published in 2001, the prevalence of AD and other dementias was 0.6% in the general population. Zadar county has 165.000 inhabitants, so, using this percentage, we can predict there are some 1000 patients with AD and dementia in our county.
We have investigated the rate of hospitalization of patients with AD, other dementias and organic psychosyndrome in Zadar General Hospital Psychiatric Ward in the last 20 years. We divided this period
into two parts – 1986 to 1995 (5 years before the war and 5 years of war) and 1996-2005 (ten years after the war).
We found that the number of hospitalized patients with AD, other dementias and organic psychosyndrome in 1986-1995 was: Alzheimer's disease – 2, other dementias – 40, organic psychosyndrome – 89, total – 131, and the total number of hospitalized patients was 4439.
In the period of 1996-2005 the number of hospitalized patients with the same disorders was: Alzheimer`s disease – 54, other dementias – 156, organic psychosyndrome – 138, total – 348, and the total number of hospitalized patients was 6071.
We can see that in the first monitored period 2.64% of hospitalized patients had AD, other dementias and organic psychosyndrome, and in the second period 5.73% of the hospitalized patients had these disorders.
The difference is statistically significant. This difference can be interpreted in different ways – growth in the number of dementias and organic psychosyndrome patients and the increased number of hospitalizations or the decrease of family tolerance towards such patients and the wish for hospitalization.
In any case, society and psychiatric professionals are confronting a problem of increased pressure in hospitalizing patients with dementia or organic psychosyndrome, and as a society we have to take adequate measures in solving this emerging problem.

Keywords

Hospitalization; Alzheimer; dementia

Hrčak ID:

22774

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/22774

Publication date:

5.5.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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