A total of 847 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Medicine, Kusatsu Branch Hospital, Gunma University School of Medicine, between April 1979 and March 1986 was analyzed with respect to sex, age, month, place of residence, and disease. Of the 847 patients, 454 (53.6%) were female and 483 (57.0%) were more than 60 years of age. Around 74% were residents in the Kusatsu area including Kusatsu-machi, Naganohara-machi, Tsumagoi-mura, and Kuni-mura. The number of patients hospitalized in September was slightly smaller than that in any other month. Among all the patients' diseases, cardiovascular disease had the highest (20.7%) frequency, followed by neurologic (17.3%), respiratory (17.2%), gastrointestinal (15.4%), endocrine and metabolic (6.6%), hematologic (6.5%), renal and urinary tract (4.1%), and connective tissue diseases (3.0%). The order in patients more than 60 years old was as follows : cardiovascular (23.7%), respiratory (18.9%), neurologic (17.7%), gastrointestinal (11.9%), hematologic (7.9%), endocrine and metabolic (5.8%), renal and urinary tract (4.1%), and connective tissue diseases (2.7%). Heart disease, bronchopnemonia, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes mellitus were the most common conditions in elderly patients.
View full abstract