ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics of outpatients in Neurological Department in different periods and to provide guidance on medical decision-making for Neurological Department. MethodOutpatients treated between August and September 1994 (group 1994) and between August and September 2012 (group 2012) in the Department of Neurology of a general hospital were included in our study. Group 1994 had 1 000 consecutive patients; while group 2012 had 18 995 patients excluding those repeat visitors, patients waiting to be treated (including dizziness), patients misdiagnosed to have severe mental diseases (such as schizophrenia), and patients with physical diseases. Then we compared the demographic and disease distribution of patients in the two groups, and performed statistical analysis. ResultsCompared with the year 1994, the year 2012 had more female, less young and more elderly patients (P<0.05). The constituent ratio of neurosis, cerebrovascular disease, internal medicine diseases with nerve damage, peripheral nerve disease, brain post-traumatic syndrome, intracranial space-occupying lesions reduced significantly while headache, epilepsy, extrapyramidal disease (such as Parkinson's disease) increased significantly (P<0.01) with no obvious change of constituent ratio of muscle disease, neuropathic muscular dystrophy, spinal cord, brain atrophy and dementia diseases. ConclusionsThere are significant changes in characteristics of neurology clinical patients between 1994 and 2012. Revelation of these differences can provide evidence for the optimization of outpatient resources allocation and the prevention policy.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the predictors of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among teachers in 3 months after Lushan earthquake. MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted to diagnostically evaluate the psychological sequelae and GAD during 14-20 days and 85-95 days after the earthquake. The possible predictive factors of psychological sequelae were assessed by a self-made questionnaire and the GAD was assessed by the GAD symptom criterion of M.I.N.I. in 3 months. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis (ULRA, MLRA) were applied to analyze the predictors of GAD after the two-staged assessments. ResultsThere were a total of 319 teachers completed the two-staged assessments. The total response rate was 51.3%. Seventy teachers were diagnosed as GAD and the prevalence of GAD in 3 months was 21.9%. The predictive factors by ULRA included:male, older than 35 years old, having unlivable house, living in tents, sleeping difficulties, easy to feel sad, physical discomfort, loss of appetite, feeling short of social support, unable to calm down for working, feeling difficult for teaching, observing more inattention of students, and wanting to ask for a leave. The independent predictors by MLRA included:male, having unlivable house, feeling short of social support, and feeling difficult for teaching. ConclusionThe teachers have a higher likelihood of GAD after earthquake. It is essential to pay more attention to those male teachers, who feel short of social support and don't have a livable house thus to prevent the GAD at the early stage of post-earthquake.