[Epidemiology of ambulatory neurological diseases at the Baix Camp]

Studies analyzing the incidence of ambulatory neurological diseases are scanty.

To describe the first prospective study of incidence of ambulatory neurological diseases at the Baix Camp (Tarragona).

This is a prospective study of a cohort of consecutive, first visited-patients at the neurology clinic of the Sant Joan Universitary Hospital of Reus. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed.

There were 1330 first visits, but 52 were excluded as they were diagnosed and treated previously at another medical center. So, the final study group included 1278 patients; 790 (61.8%) were woman and 488 (38.2%) men. Mean age was 48.7 years. The incidence ratio was 10.3 new neurological outpatients by 1000 hab./year. Headache was the most frequent symptom (36.5%), followed by focal symptoms and transitory loss of consciousness. The most frequent diagnoses were, by order of frequency, non-tumoral headaches (35.8%), followed by anxiety and depression, neuropathies and epilepsy. Cranial CT and MRI were the complementary exams more solicited.

This epidemiological study corroborates that the most frequent neurological diseases were non-tumoral headaches, neuropathies and epilepsy. The need for specialized assistance could be reduced by better identification of certain diseases from primary medical assistance. This analysis will be actualized every five years.