Wolfgang A. González-Torres, Subdirección de Audiología, Foniatría y Patología del Lenguaje, Servicio de Patología del Lenguaje, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Ciudad de México, México
Ma. Guadalupe Leyva-Cárdenas, Subdirección de Audiología, Foniatría y Patología del Lenguaje, Servicio de Patología del Lenguaje, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Ciudad de México, México
Emilio Arch-Tirado, Neurological Center, Centro Médico ABC, Campus Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico
Ana L. Lino-González, Subdirection of Biomedical Research, Neuroscience Division, Clinical Neuroscience Service, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City, Mexico
Background. Memory is a complex function that makes possible to record, store, and retrieve information. Memory disorders range from transient or discrete episodes to more persistent difficulties, as is the case with amnesic syndromes and dementia. Objective. To analyze the incidence of the main pathologies related to memory alteration reported in a third-level hospital in Mexico City. Method. Analytical retrospective study. Electronic records (January 2015-December 2019) of 142 patients were reviewed; means, standard deviations, percentages and frequencies, and confidence intervals were calculated for the mean with α = 0.05. In order to assess whether there was a significant difference between variables and groups, the chi-square test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used. Results. The diagnoses of post-traumatic amnesia and frontal amnesia were more frequent in men between 31 and 50 years old; in the case of women, the most common were vascular amnesia and cognitive impairment between 70 and 79 years of age. A clear trend was found between the sex of the patients and the diagnosis obtained, as well as between the age range and the diagnosis. Conclusion. Pathologies related to memory alterations, given their incidence and prevalence, can be considered a public health problem, as is currently the case with post-traumatic amnesia and frontal amnesia in young men, and future cognitive impairment and vascular dementia in older adults.
Keywords: Memory disorder. Acquired brain damage. Memory pathology.