[Diabetes mellitus: causes for hospitalization, intrahospital complications and mortality].
OBJECTIVE
To determine hospitalization causes, complications and mortality in Mexican patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).


METHODS
Between July and December 2001, we reviewed all admissions to the Department of Internal Medicine. Patients with a diagnosis of DM were included. A structured questionnaire was applied with the assessment of the following variables: sociodemographic; clinical history; variables associated with DM (complications associated with DM, treatment and diet, control of the disease by general practitioner or specialist); admissions (causes, length of stay, complications, glycemia at onset of admission and causes of death).


RESULTS
One hundred forty-seven patients were hospitalized, 57% were women with a mean age of 58 years and disease duration of 165 months; 43% knew their glycemia value upon admission and 67% were seen in the outpatient clinic 30 days previous to admission. At onset of hospitalization 61% were hyperglycemic, 5% had hypoglycemia and 22% had normal glycemic values. The causes of hospitalization were cardiovascular diseases (37%), complications associated with DM (20%), and infections (18%). The mean length of hospital stay was 10 days. There were 16 (11%) deaths specifically due to cardiovascular disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Frequent causes of hospitalizations, intrahospital complications and deaths were similar to previous studies in other countries.
Membreño Mann
Juan Poblo
JP
Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital General Regional 20, INISS, Tijuana, Baja, California, USA.
Zonana Nacach
Abraham
A
D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires