Pattern of psychiatric in-patient admissions in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

An understanding of the current state of mental health services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a clinical perspective is an important step in advising government and stakeholders on addressing the mental health needs of the fast-growing population. We conducted a retrospective study of data on all patients admitted to a regional psychiatric in-patient unit between June 2012 and May 2015. More Emiratis (UAE nationals) were admitted compared with expatriates. Emiratis were diagnosed more frequently with substance use disorders and expatriates with stress-related conditions. Psychotic and bipolar disorders were the most common causes for admission and had the longest in-patient stays; advancing age was associated with longer duration of in-patient stay.

Basal Ganglia Calcification in Psychiatric Inpatients: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Several case reports have noted basal ganglia calcification (BGC) as an incidental radiologic finding in patients presenting with psychiatric manifestations. In this study, we examined the clinical correlates of mental disorders in two groups of psychiatric patients, one with BGC and one with normal radiologic studies. METHODS: In a retrospective cross-sectional case-control study of patients admitted to the psychiatric ward in Al Ain Hospital between January 2011 and December 2013, we compared all 15 patients diagnosed with BGC and 30 control patients who had normal radiologic findings. RESULTS: The BGC group's psychiatric symptoms began when they were aged in their 30s and 40s, later than the controls' 20s and 30s (P=0.001). More of the BGC group than the controls had cognitive symptoms (60% versus 6.7%, P=0.001). The BGC group was more likely to have chronic medical comorbidities (66.7% versus 20%, P=0.003). The BGC group's mean serum calcium was lower than the controls' (P=0.003) and the C-reactive protein was higher (P=0.049). We did not find significant differences between the groups in psychiatric diagnoses; five of the 15 patients with BGC had mood disorders and four of the 15 had psychotic disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BGC tend to develop psychiatric symptoms later in life than other psychiatric patients, and have higher rates of medical comorbidities. Many patients with BGC have cognitive symptoms, which can be concurrent with a mood or psychotic disorder.

Familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (Fahr`s disease).

Familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (Fahr`s disease) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by symmetrical and bilateral calcification of the basal ganglia. Calcifications may also occur in other brain regions such as dentate nucleus, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. Both familial and non-familial cases of Fahr`s disease have been reported, predominantly with autosomal-dominant fashion. The disease has a wide range of clinical presentations, predominantly with neuropsychiatric features and movement disorders. Psychiatric features reported in the literature include: cognitive impairment, depression, hallucinations, delusions, manic symptoms, anxiety, schizophrenia-like psychosis, and personality change. Other clinical features include: Parkinsonism, ataxia, headache, seizures, vertigo, stroke-like events, orthostatic hypotension, tremor, dysarthria, and paresis. Fahr`s disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric symptoms, particularly when associated with movement disorder. The disease should be differentiated from other conditions that can cause intracranial calcification. No specific treatment is currently available. Further research is needed to bridge the gap existing in our current knowledge of the prevalence, etiology, symptoms, and treatment of Fahr`s disease.