Incidence of confusional syndrome (delirium) in a Latin American university hospital.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the incidence of delirium and its subtypes in patients admitted to different departments of university hospitals in Latin America. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of delirium and the frequency of its subtypes, as well as its associated factors, in patients admitted to different departments of a university hospital in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: A cohort of patients over 18 years of age admitted to the internal medicine (IM), geriatrics (GU), general surgery (GSU), orthopaedics (OU) and intensive care unit (ICU) services of a university hospital was followed up between January and June 2018. To detect the presence of delirium, we used the CAM (Confusion Assessment Method) and the CAM-ICU if the patient had decreased communication skills. The delirium subtype was characterised using the RASS (Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale). Patients were assessed on their admission date and then every two days until discharged from the hospital. Those in whom delirium was identified were referred for specialised intra-institutional interdisciplinary management. RESULTS: A total of 531 patients admitted during the period were assessed. The overall incidence of delirium was 12% (95% CI, 0.3-14.8). They represented 31.8% of patients in the GU, 15.6% in the ICU, 8.7% in IM, 5.1% in the OU, and 3.9% in the GSU. The most frequent clinical display was the mixed subtype, at 60.9%, followed by the normoactive subtype (34.4%) and the hypoactive subtype (4.7%). The factors most associated with delirium were age (adjusted RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05-1.09), the presence of four or more comorbidities (adjusted RR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.31-3.20), and being a patient in the ICU (adjusted RR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.22-3.35). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of delirium is heterogeneous in the different departments of the university hospital. The highest incidence occurred in patients that were admitted to the GU. The mixed subtype was the most frequent one, and the main associated factors were age, the presence of four or more comorbidities, and being an ICU patient.

Socioeconomic status and access to multiple sclerosis treatment in Mexico.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological autoimmune condition and the leading non-traumatic cause of neurological disability worldwide. Disease-modifying therapies (DMT) directly impact on the long-term prognosis of patients with MS preventing relapses and the associated disability progression. Here, we analyzed the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on DMT access in Mexican patients. METHODS: We evaluated the association between SES and DMT access using the MS registry from the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. We included 974 patients with MS (McDonald 2010 criteria). We categorized SES according to the 2018 Mexican Association of Market Research Agencies (AMAI) SES classification. We analyzed DMT type, MS phenotype, educational level, symptomatic onset to diagnosis, EDSS at arrival, as well as the progression index. Chi-squared and Wilcoxon tests were used, and multivariable analysis performed for DMT access. RESULTS: When comparing the lower versus higher levels of SES, a significant association was found on the percentage of patients with higher levels of disability (EDSS >6) at arrival, the proportion of patients not receiving any DMT and a higher proportion of secondary progressive MS (p=0.006, p<0.001and p=0.004, respectively). We also found that lower educational levels had a significance and inverse association with EDSS on first visit (p=0.019), symptomatic onset to diagnosis (p<0.001) and a higher disability status at arrival (EDSS >6, p=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that SES is an important factor determining not only prompt but overall access to highly effective DMT. Lower SES are associated with greater levels of disability at the first clinic visit and a higher proportion of patients not receiving DMT up to 12 months of follow-up.