Resumo

CONTRERAS, Manuel et al. Enfermedades del adulto e hipertensión arterial en un servicio de medicina interna. Rev. latinoam. Hipertens [online]. 2008, vol.3, n.2, pp.60-64. ISSN 1856-4550.

The demographic situation joined to scientific - technological advances orientates stadistical toward getting old of the population. Its growth is a matter of World preoccupation, due to it has been duplicated since 1950. In Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 32 million of people are now younger than 60 years old; 55% are women. The population of 60 years old and older, is increasing at an annual rateo f 3% comparing with the 1.9% of the growth rate of the total population. Beside that, the hope of birth life will increase from 51.2 years in the 2020-2025 period, and it jeans an increase of 21.6 years. In Venezuela the estimated population is 24.169.744 habitants, with a demographic density of 26.4 habitant per Km2; the 33% is younger than 15 years old and the 65% is older than 60 years old. It was made a descriptive, retrospective research, which envolved the review of medical files of all patients which atended to the consultation and hospitalization areas of the Service of Intern Medicine at the Dr. José María Vargas Hospital in Cagua city, Aragua State during january - june 2007 period. The objective was to identify the main causes of disease - death rate; as well as the incidency of hipertensión like main diagnosis in the studied population. A total of 2.148 patients were evaluated at the Medicine Service. The distribution by age groups reported a 59.89% between 19 and 59 years old and 40.10% for older than 60 years. The most common illnesses for both groups (consultation and hospitalization) were: Cardiovasculars, Metabolics and Respiratories. The Arterial Hypertension (28.42%). Hypertensive Urgency (3.85%). Chronic Isquemia Cardiopaty (2.20%). Arthymias (1.34%) and Cardiac Insuficiency (1.16%), which were found in 538 patients and was the most frecuent medical condition; followed by the endocryne-metabolics, with 29.86% and respiratories with 10.01%.

Palavras-chave : Adult Attention; Internal Medicine; Adult Illness.