General medical interventions in patients with dementia treated in a psychogeriatric unit.

Medical records of 50 consecutive psychogeriatric inpatients with moderate or severe dementia were retrospectively analyzed. Comorbid general medical disorders were diagnosed in 88% of the patients (202 disorders; mean: 4.6/patient). At least one general medical intervention was initiated during hospital treatment in 78% of patients (82 interventions in 39 patients with a mean length of stay of 38.8 days). Interventions were most frequently related to respiratory and urinary tract infections, followed by cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, respectively. In conclusion, psychogeriatric patients with advanced dementia are in need of a substantial amount of general medical care.