Disabling neurological syndromes: prevalence amongst hospitalized neurological patients

Authors: Nowotny, M.¹; Dachenhausen, A.¹; Matz, K.²; Brainin, M.

Source: European Journal of Neurology, Volume 13, Number 9, September 2006 , pp. 1002-1008(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Neurological patient populations are usually described by diagnosis or in terms of functional disability measures but rarely by their clinical syndromes. A point-prevalence study was conducted assessing 349 neurological inpatients to determine the frequency and co-occurrence of disabling neurological syndromes, considering a wider spectrum including pain, emotional, neuropsychological, vegetative and sensorimotor syndromes. Of the study patients, 61% (n = 224) had sensorimotor syndromes, 53% (n = 185) had neuropsychological disorders, 40% (n = 139) of the patients suffered from pain, emotional disorders were found in 36% (n = 122) and vegetative disorders in 33% (n = 113). Although frequency varied by neurological diagnosis, these disabling conditions were found across all inpatient groups of diagnosis. Similarly, disorders outside the motor domains grouped according to their Barthel Index showed a striking frequency in patients considered as activities of daily living independent, reflecting a wider spectrum of disability that functional measures are not able to capture. Of the study population, 68% (n = 237) suffered from co-occurring disorders from different categories (pain, emotional, neuropsychological, vegetative and sensorimotor syndromes). There is a high prevalence and co-occurrence of disabling syndromes in neurological inpatients. These proportions reflect the neurological workload in a patient population and should be considered in future rehabilitation research and allocation of resources.

Keywords: inpatients; neurological disorders; prevalence

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01413.x

Affiliations: 1: Centre for Postgraduate Studies in Neurosciences, Danube University, Maria Gugging, Austria 2: Neurological Department, Donauklinikum, Maria Gugging, Austria

Publication date: 2006-09-01

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