[Acute abdominal pain in elderly patients evaluated in the emergency department at a tertiary level]

Life expectancy in México has increased in the last decades with a remarkable increase in geriatric population. Acute abdominal pain (AAP) in elderly people compared with young people has different clinical presentation because of the concomitant chronic diseases, the use of medications, history of abdominal surgeries and decrease in perception of pain and immunity.

To know the cause and associated mortality of acute abdominal pain in geriatric patients who attend the emergency room.

Geriatric patients' files with acute abdominal pain admitted from January 2004 to December 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Age, gender, presence of chronic diseases, use of medications, history of surgical procedures, definitive diagnosis causative of the symptoms and the associated mortality were recorded.

17 524 patients were admitted, of whom 324 (1.8%) were geriatric patients with AAP: 110 were men (36.9) and 214 were women (66%), with a mean age of 78 years (range 60 to 102 years). The most common causes of AAP were acute cholecystitis in 49 patients (15.1%), irritable bowel syndrome in 42 (12.9%), ulcerative syndrome in 40 (12.3%), intestinal obstruction in 35 (10.8%) and diverticulitis in 23 (10.8%). Nine patients died (2.7%).

In our hospital the most common cause of AAP in geriatric patients is related to biliary disease followed by functional gastrointestinal disorder and ulcerative syndrome. Mortality is low.