title: [Etiology of chronic diarrhea in the elderly in Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati, Lima-Peru].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impact of chronic diarrhea in the elderly is disproportionate by several factors causing increased morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the main features about the chronic diarrhea in elderly patients from Edgardo Rebagliati Hospital (Lima-Peru) during the period January 2005 to December 2011,
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive and retrospective study in which we reviewed the medical records of elderly patients with the diagnosis of chronic diarrhea, pouring in a data collection sheet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We reviewed the medical records of 202 patients. The mean age was 73.5 ± 6.7 years, with most women (57.43%). Major comorbidities were cardiovascular (60.4%) and endocrine (27.2%). The half time of illness was 21.6 ± 13.6 weeks. The most requested tests were CBC, biochemistry, albumin, coprofuncional, parasitological and colonoscopy. The most common type of diarrhea was the organic (84.16%). Among the main causes were found microscopic colitis (35.15%), parasites (15.84%), irritable bowel syndrome (14.85%) and bacterial overgrowth (8.42%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common causes of chronic diarrhea in the elderly are microscopic colitis, parasites, irritable bowel syndrome and bacterial overgrowth.
authors.affiliation: HNERM.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arcana Lopez
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Frisancho Velarde
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chacaltana
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001765:Blind Loop Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D046728:Colitis, Microscopic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D010568:Peru; D012189:Retrospective Studies