Hospital admissions in adolescents with psychosomatic illnesses

• Published in: Anales de pediatría (Barcelona, Spain : 2003) Spain : 2003), 2008-08, Vol.69 (2), p.115-118
• Main Authors: González-Valcárcel Espinosa, M, Alonso García, L, Brañas Fernández, P, Pedreira Massa, J L
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data; Prevalence; Psychophysiologic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychophysiologic Disorders - epidemiology; Psychophysiologic Disorders - etiology; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 1695-4033

To determine the prevalence of hospital admissions due to psychosomatic diseases in the adolescents. To define the most frequent symptomatology that accompanies these disorders, the triggering factors, the complementary tests made and the possible existence of psychiatric illness in the parents. A retrospective study was carried out with patients of 10 to 18 years who were admitted to the Niño Jesús Children's Hospital during the period from January 2002 to August 2006, whose discharge diagnosis included symptomatology of psychosomatic origin. The number of medical histories was 33. In this period the frequency of admissions due to psychosomatic diseases was 2.6 %. We found a predominance of female patients, with an average age of 11.5 years; the most frequent symptom was abdominal pain, isolated or accompanied by other pathology. The duration of the symptom before going to the hospital was 11 days. In 13/33 (39.4 %) of the cases previous symptoms of psychosomatic aetiology existed. The complementary study to discard organic disease was negative in all cases. The average stay was 5 days. The existence of triggering factors was found in 21/33 (63.6 %), school problems being the most common. In 7/33 (21 %) there was a family history of psychiatric disease. The most frequent somatic symptom was abdominal pain, being the triggering factor in most of the patients. The complementary study did not find significant abmormalities. In one out of five cases there was a family history of psychiatric disease. It is recommended to give these patients multidisciplinary care from the beginning of the stay, using consultation and link technique.