Psicologia Hospitalar -Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo

PINHEIRO. R. S. E.; COELHO. C. F.: BRAGA, A. P. S. M.: CABRAL. F. B.
IRMANDADE DA SANTA CASA DE MISERICÓRDIA DE SÃO PAULO

lNTRODUCTION:
We analyzed the patients assisted during the year of 2005 at section of sleep disturbances of Santa Casa de São Paulo and with reference to the epidemiologic foreign and national studies centers data

We reviewed the history of 57 patients assisted at sleep disturbance sector of Santa Casa between November/2004 to December/2005 We included only patients over 16 years old
We excluded patients that were waiting complementary exams.
We analyzed gender, age, marital status and the need for complementary results. Diagnosis were classified according The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (lCSD) 2005 and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition,. Text Revision (DSM-IV-R).

RESULTS:
57 patients were analyzed.
The range age is 45.3 years old (range 45.8 year old for male and 44.9 year old for female). The youngest patient is 17 years old and the oldest one: is 78 years old.
22 are male (38,6%) and 35 are female (61,4%).
35 are married, 14 are only, 5 are divorced and 3 are widowed.
For 52 (92%) patients polysomnography were requested. For 21 patients (37%) neuropsychological tests were requested.
The main initial symptoms were: 50,8% insomnia, 19,3% excessive sleepiness, 12,3% snore, 3,5% apnea and 14,1% parassomnias (sleep walking, nightmares, confusional wake up ... ).
For 29 patients (51%) there were more than three (03) sleep disturbances.
Major depression disease was noticed at 21 patients (37%) and global anxiety disturbance was noticed at 13 patients (23%). 9 patients (16%) had both symptoms.

CONCLUSION :
Females between ages 40 to 60 years old and married man were predominance. Insomnia was the most frequent symptom after excessive sleepiness. In 51%of the patients assisted was noticed more than one sleep disturbance. We noticed that there are so few epidemiologic studies in Brazil as well as others countries. This fact became so difficult to us to compare and connect the results of this presentation with the epidemiologic data. We believe that is so important the development of educational programs about sleep disturbances approaching them to health or general public.