[Prevalence of dementia or other form of organic brain disorder on a geriatric psychiatry ward].
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of dementia in various geriatric psychiatry settings has previously been investigated and been found to lie between 15.2% and 61%. The present study investigated the percentage of patients with "organic brain disorder" [OBD] (dementia, acquired brain injury or other brain disease) in one geriatric psychiatric department in Copenhagen, Denmark.


METHODS
The journals of all patients admitted to the geriatric psychiatric department (locked ward, open ward, and day hospital) in 2002 were studied in order to find evidence of (a) psychiatric discharge diagnosis of OBD in 2002 (b) previous diagnosis of OBD (c) the basis of these diagnoses.


RESULTS
130 patients were admitted at least once in 2002. 33.1% had an OBD diagnosis at discharge, whilst a further 18.4% had documented evidence of previously diagnosed OBD and/or assessments supporting the presence of OBD. Effects of gender and age at first admission were found on discharge diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
There is evidence that over half of the patients admitted to the geriatric psychiatry department in this study had an OBD, which is higher than the percentage of patients who were discharged with this diagnosis. The possible consequences of findings and the drawbacks of the study are discussed.
Low
Ann-Marie
AM
Frederiksberg Hospital, Gerontopsykiatrisk Afdeling D, Frederiksberg. ann-marie.low@frh.regionh.dk
Møller
Tanja Thor
TT
D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies