ABSTRACT
Introducción: el objetivo del trabajo es establecer si existe un patrón de estacionalidad en las internaciones hospitalarias por trastorno bipolar en el Hospital Colonia Santa María, Córdoba, Argentina, entre los años 2000 y 2003. Materiales y métodos: se tomaron los episodios afectivos internados con diagnóstico de trastorno bipolar (CIE-IO) durante el período y se analizaron las historias clínicas según los criterios del DSM-IV. Se incluyeron las internaciones de toda la historia patobiográfica del individuo. Resultados: se incluyeron 84 episodios afectivos: 43 maníacos (51%), 20 depresivos (24%), 15 mixtos (18%) y 6 hipomaníacos (7%). Se encontró una asociación estadísticamente significativa (p<0,001) entre episodios afectivos del trastorno bipolar y estación del año, con un patrón estacional de manía-hipomanía en verano y depresión en invierno. Los episodios mixtos presentan pico en verano pero se distribuyen más uniformemente en el año. Conclusiones: existe estacionalidad en las internaciones por trastorno bipolar.
Introduction: The purpose of this research is to establish if there is a seasonal pattern in hospitalizations due to affective episodes of bipolar disorder in Hospital Colonia Santa Maria, Córdoba, Argentina, between 2000-2003. Materials and methods: The affective episodes considered were those which required patient hospitalization with bipolar disorder diagnosis (ICD-I0). Medical histories were analyzed subsequently, according to the DSM-IV criteria. The episodes considered were those with hospitalization during all the pathobiographical history of the patient. Outcome: 84 affective episodes were considered. 43 were maniac (51 %), 20 were depressive (24%), 15 were mixed (18%) and 6 were hypomaniac (7%). A statistically significant association was found (p<0,00l) between affective episodes of bipolar disorder and the season of the year, with a seasonal pattern of mania-hypomania in summer and depression in winter. Mixed episodes were distributed more consistently in the year with a peak in summer. Conclusion: In this research a relationship is established between bipolar disorder and seasonal nature in hospitalizations.