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Vol. 54. Issue 3.
Pages 238-242 (1 March 2001)
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Vol. 54. Issue 3.
Pages 238-242 (1 March 2001)
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Enfermedades del adolescente en el servicio de urgencias
Causes of adolescent visits to the emergency department
Visits
8887
A. Ruiz España, J.J. García García, C. Luaces Cubells
Corresponding author
cluaces@hsjdbcn.org

Correspondencia: Servicio de Pediatría. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. P.° Sant Joan de Déu, 2. Esplugues de Llobregat. 08950 Barcelona.
, R. Garrido Romero, J. Pou Fernández
Sección de Urgencias. Servicio de Pediatría. Unidad Integrada Hospital Sant Joan de Déu-Hospital Clínic. Universidad de Barcelona
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Objetivos

Conocer las enfermedades del adolescente en un servicio de urgencias pediátrico de tercer nivel, así como las características diferenciales entre los distintos grupos de éstas.

Material y métodos

Estudio retrospectivo mediante revisión del informe de urgencias de 170 adolescentes escogidos de forma estratificada entre 1.172 adolescentes atendidos en el Servicio de Urgencias Pediátricas del Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Barcelona, durante el mes de mayo de 1997. Se excluyeron 517 pacientes con traumatismo. El análisis estadístico se realizó con la prueba de χ2 para variables cualitativas y análisis de la variancia para variables cuantitativas y se aceptó una significación de p < 0,05.

Resultados

La distribución por sexos fue 89 mujeres y 81 varones. La mediana de edad era de 13,8 años. Los diagnósticos de salida más frecuentes fueron las abdominalgias (26 casos), virasis (15 casos) y depresión-ansiedad (14 casos). Se realizaron exploraciones complementarias en 60 de los 170 casos. Se remitieron a domicilio 141 del total de pacientes. Entre los pacientes con trastornos psiquiátricos había mayor proporción de mujeres (18/26) que de varones (8/26), así como entre los que tenían síntomas abdominales y neurológicos, mientras dicha tendencia no se observaba en los pacientes con enfermedad orgánica (p = 0,03). En la mayor parte de los casos los enfermos con antecedentes psiquiátricos fueron diagnosticados de trastornos psiquiátricos. De los pacientes con enfermedad orgánica ingresaron 10 de 85 (11,8 %) frente a 13 de 26 (50 %) de trastornos psiquiátricos (p < 0,001).

Conclusiones

Los adolescentes que acuden a un servicio de urgencias hospitalario presentan trastornos diferenciados, con un porcentaje nada insignificante de alteraciones psíquicas o de síntomas inespecíficos.

Palabras clave:
Adolescence
Emergency department
Functional disorders
Objective

To determine the complaints leading adolescents to a third level emergency department, as well as the distinguishing features between the different groups of complaints.

Material and methods

Retrospective study of the emergency department reports of 170 adolescents selected from the 1,172 adolescents who visited the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu pediatric emergency department in May 1997. We excluded 517 patients with trauma. Statistical analysis was carried out with the chi-square test for qualitative variables and analysis of variance for quantitative variables; differences were accepted as significant at p < 0.05.

Results

Eighty-nine patients were female and 81 were male. Median age was 13.8 years. The most frequent discharge diagnoses were abdomen pain in 26 patients, viral illness in 15 and depression-anxiety in 14. Complementary investigations were carried out in 60 patients. One hundred forty-one patients were discharged. Of the 26 patients with psychiatric disorders, 18 were girls and 8 were boys. The proportion of girls was also higher among patients with abdominal and neurological symptoms, although not among patients with organic disorders (p = 0.03). Most of the patients with psychiatric antecedents were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. Ten (11.8 %) of the 85 patients with organic complaints were admitted to hospital compared with 13 (50 %) of the 26 patients with psychiatric disorders (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Adolescents visit emergency departments for a variety of complains. The proportion of psychiatric disorders and non-specific symptoms is high.

Key words:
Adolescence
Emergency department
Functional disorders
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Copyright © 2001. Asociación Española de Pediatría
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