Psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in elderly patients treated at the Department for Psychiatry during 2018

Authors

  • Nerminka Aljukic
  • Mevludin Hasanovic
  • Izet Pajevic
  • Elvir Becirovic
  • Anel Brigic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5457/ams.v53i2.700

Keywords:

morbidity, comorbidity, mental disorders, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, the most common mental disorders in the elderly include dementia (5% - 8%), depression (7%), anxiety disorder (4%), and substance abuse (1%). Moreover, 25% of suicide deaths occur among the elderly. Whether the prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders increases in later life is currently debated in the literature. During the previous two decades of their lives, older adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced many specific psychosocial circumstances. The experience of war aggression on our country, and the post-war period with a very complex socioeconomic environment of the current socio-political climate, were accompanied by special challenges for the mental health of this population. Motivated by a large number of questions and dilemmas related to the state of mental health of this population, we conducted research at the Department of Psychiatry at the University Clinical Center Tuzla.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in people over 55 years of age.

Methods: The research sample consisted of all patients older than 55 years treated at the Department for Psychiatry during 2018 (N=281), divided into four age categories. To obtain data, we used medical documentation, i.e., medical records, and we constructed a special questionnaire for research purposes.

Results: Diagnoses by ICD-10 groups: 33.4% of patients in the entire sample had affective disorders (F30.0-F39.0): "young" (39.2%), "middle" (43.3%), "older "(75%) (p<0.001); women had significantly more affective disorders (61.8%) than men (26.8%) (p<0.001). Men had significantly more organic mental disorders (F00.0-F09.0) (63.3%) than women (22.6%) (p<0.001).

Hypertensio arterialis was the most common comorbid dg. of the entire sample, without significant differences according to age groups and sex (p>0.05). Diabetes mellitus was the second comorbid dg. By frequency in the total sample (19.6%) without significant differences according to age groups and according to sex (p>0.05).

Conclusion: In the entire sample, the most common diagnoses are from the affective disorders group; the most common somatic comorbidities are hypertensio arterialis and diabetes mellitus.

Downloads

Published

2024-01-15

Issue

Vol. 53 No. 2 (2023)

Section

Original papers

License

Copyright transfer

The listed authors warrant that they are the authors and sole owners of the submitted manuscript. The authors also warrant that the work is original; that it has not been previously published in print or electronic format and is not under consideration by another publisher or electronic medium; that it has not been previously transferred, assigned, or otherwise encumbered; and that the authors have full power to grant such rights. With respect to the results of this work, the manuscript of this or substantially similar content will not be submitted to any other journal until the review process in the Acta Medica Salinianana has been officially completed (acceptance or rejection of the manuscript). The paper will not be withdrawn from the review process by the Acta Medica Saliniana Editorial Board until the review process is completed. The authors will comply with the requests of the Acta Medica Saliniana Editors and reviewers to improve the paper for publication. The eventual disagreements will be submitted in a written form; the authors are aware that the disagreement(s) with the Acta Medica Saliniana requests may result in the rejection of the manuscript. The authors hereby grant to the Acta Medica Saliniana the right to edit, revise, abridge, and condense the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication in the Acta Medica Saliniana, the authors hereby transfer the copyright of the paper to the Acta Medica Saliniana. The authors permit the Acta Medica Saliniana to allow third parties to copy any part of the journal without asking for permission, provided that the reference to the source is given. For papers with more than one author: All other co-authors agree to allow the corresponding author to make decisions regarding prepublication release of the information in the paper to the media, federal agencies, or both.