Main diagnosis in patients referred for prompt evaluation to a neurology clinic in a tertiary center in Argentina

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence, distribution, and clinical profile of neurological diseases and syndromes in patients referred for prompt neurological evaluation at a tertiary care center.
Methods: This was a retrospective study including patients referred to the Neurology Department for rapid ambulatory evaluation (within 24–48 hours) from June 2022 to May 2023. Data on age, sex, reason for referral, and requesting services were collected to identify the sample’s profile.
Results: A total of 1,714 patients were included. The average age was 55.24 years; 58.86% were female. Among these patients, 76.98% were referred from the emergency department (p = 0.042).
A total of 83.02% of the consultations were for neurological conditions, with the main reason for referral being explanation of tests results (25.23%), followed by migraine without aura (14.05%), tension-type headache (9.49%), migraine with aura (5.55%), cognitive disorders (4.50%), and complicated headache syndromes (4.43%). The most common neurological syndromes were headache and facial pain (35.41%), neuropathies (8.51%), and cognitive syndrome (4.50%).
Twenty-five point three percent of referrals were from individuals seeking explanations for complementary test findings, with neuroimaging assessments being the most common requests.
A total of 13.24% of consultations were for non-neurological conditions.
A total of 7.35% required admission, with the main causes being acute focal neurological syndromes of probable vascular etiology (2.28%), complicated headache syndrome (1.23%), and delirium (0.76%).
Conclusion: Our findings enhance the understanding of the prevalence and distribution patterns of confirmed or suspected neurological diseases and syndromes in patients referred for prompt ambulatory evaluation by a neurologist.