ICD 10 diagnoses of Egyptian psychiatric patients with somatic symptoms

When ICD 10 criteria were applied to 200 Egyptian psychiatric outpatients with predominantly somatic symptoms the most common diagnoses were dysthymic disorder [16.5%], mixed anxiety and depressive episode [14%] and undifferentiated somatoform disorder [12%]. 67% from the sample were referred by other physicians after a mean follow up period of 4.5 months

prospective 2-year follow-up study of first episode manic disorder

A group of 57 patients hospitalized for their first manic episode were followed up for 2 years to study the relapse rate and factors affecting it using serial of semistructured interviews, monthly during the first year and every 3 months during the second year. Data were statistically analyzed. Results showed that 40 patients [70.17%] relapsed within 2 years, 29.82% within the first year and 40.35% within the second year], most relapses were of manic types and manic relapses tended to occur earlier than depressive relapses. Higher relapse rate was associated with single and divorced martial status, positive family history of affective disorders, the presence of psychotic features especially if mood-incongruent, longer duration of treatment of the index episode, longer duration of illness before hospitalization and introvert personality before illness. Sex, age, duration of relapse and type of relapse had insignificant relations to the relapse rate