Trastornos de ansiedad en pacientes hospitalizados en Medicina Interna

BACKGROUND: Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are common among medical patients, however few studies differentiate both and consider the psychiatric comorbidity of anxiety disorders among such patients. AIM: To evaluate the presence of anxiety disorders among patients admitted to a medical ward. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Random selection of 406 patients (mean age 56 years, 203 female), hospitalized in a medical ward of a public hospital, mainly for cardiovascular, genitourinary and digestive diseases. All were assessed using an structured interview for DSM-III-R. RESULTS: Twenty six percent of women and 13% of men had anxiety disorders. Fifteen percent of women and 6% of men had specific phobias, 7% of women and 4% of men had generalized anxiety, 5% of women and 0.5% of men had agoraphobia, 3% of women and 0.5% of men had social phobia, 1% of men and 0.5% of women had panic disorders and 0.5% of women had a post traumatic stress. Specific phobias and social phobias started during childhood. Anxiety and agoraphobia started during adulthood. Among patients with anxiety disorders, 43% of women and 34% of men did not have other psychiatric ailment, 34% of women and 19% of men had an associated depression and 34% of men had disorders due to use of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of patients hospitalized in medical wards have anxiety disorders, that once identified it may help to treat the medical ailments.