title: [Changes in the demand for paediatric neurology care in a spanish tertiary care hospital over a 20-year period].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine the profile of the demand for paediatric neurology care in a Spanish tertiary hospital over the past 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied epidemiological data, reasons for consultation, diagnoses and complementary tests from all patients examined by our Paediatric Neurology Unit in its 20 years of service (from May 1990 to March 2010). We also reviewed data from patients whose first visit took place within the last five years (2005-2010) and compared them to data obtained from a prior study carried out in this Unit from 1990 to 1995. To compare the first 5 years (group 1) with the last 5 years (group 2), we calculated confidence intervals, P<.05, for the frequency distribution (%) in each category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Main reasons for consultation and principal diagnoses for the 12726 patients evaluated in the 20-year period, as well as results from group 1 (2046 patients) and group 2 (4488 patients) corresponding to first and the last 5 years of activity respectively, are presented with their confidence intervals in a series of tables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Variations in the reasons for consultation, diagnoses and complementary tests over time reflect changes determined by medical, scientific and social progress, and organisational changes specific to each hospital. This explains the difficulty of comparing different patient series studied consecutively, which are even more pronounced between different hospitals.
authors: Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España. Electronic address: pediatriazaragoza@hotmail.com.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Monge Galindo
authors: Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: López-Pisón
authors: Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, España.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Samper Villagrasa
authors: Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Peña Segura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010372:Pediatrics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Actividad asistencial; Autism; Autismo; Developmental delay disorders; Enfermedades raras; Medical care; Neuropediatría; Paediatric neurology; Rare diseases; Retraso psicomotor