Pressure ulcers in ALS patients on admission at a university hospital in Japan

Abstract

We aimed to review the incidence of pressure ulcers in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on admission at a teaching hospital in Mie, Japan. 592 patients admitted to the neurological ward of Mie University Hospital from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2006 were reviewed. A retrospective analysis was conducted based on medical and nursing records about pressure ulcers among patients with ALS, parkinsonism (Parkinson's disease, multisystem atrophy, corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy) and other neurological diseases. 16 patients (12 males and four females) aged 36 to 87 years, 71.2 +/- 14.2 years old (mean +/- SD), were identified as having one or more pressure ulcers on admission. No patients developed a new pressure ulcer after admission. The number of patients with pressure ulcers on admission was two in 41 ALS patients, five in 126 parkinsonism patients and nine in 425 patients with other neurological diseases. A proportional analysis by chi2 test for the groups did not show a lower incidence of pressure ulcers in ALS patients. In conclusion, no differences were found in the incidence of pressure ulcers on admission among three neurological groups at a teaching hospital in Mie, Japan.