Reasons for elderly patient hospitalization in departments of internal medicine in Lodz

Abstract

Background and aims: The number of hospitalizations of elderly patients in Poland has been increasing rapidly in recent years. For Lodz, with the oldest population among big cities in Poland, this is an especially important problem. In order to reduce the number of elderly patient hospitalizations, it is first necessary to know the main reasons for these hospitalizations. This study aimed to determine the reasons for elderly patient hospitalizations in Lodz.

Methods: Data related to elderly patients (65 and over) admitted to departments of internal medicine in three district hospitals in Lodz were collected. The reasons for hospital admission, coded according to the International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision, were used for the calculations.

Results: Elderly persons accounted for 53.6% of patients hospitalized at the departments studied. The most frequent reasons for hospital admission of the elderly were cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (54.7%) and respiratory tract diseases (19.9%). The most frequent specific diagnoses for hospitalization were coronary heart disease (CHD) (15.7%), pneumonia (11.5%), stroke (8.5%), hypertension (7.2%), heart failure (5.4%), non-insulin-dependent diabetes (5.3%) and insufficiency of cerebral arteries (5.3%). Hypertension was nearly twice as frequent a reason for hospital admission in women as in men.

Conclusions: Elderly persons account for more than half of patients in departments of internal medicine in Lodz. The most frequent reason for hospital admission of the elderly is CVD, particularly CHD.