Introduction:

Dysphagia is an important associated morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patient.

Objectives:

Main; to describe the characteristics of patients admitted for dysphagia and secondary; quantify and analyze the prevalence of mortality and readmissions.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional study descriptive revenues by dysphagia during the year 2015 in a University General Hospital.

Results:

431 records were evaluated. The age of the patients was 83,21 (11.4), 52.5% women and 47.2% male; the average stay was 11.1 (7.99) days. In 71,2% of cases the dysphagia was involvement of the oropharyngeal phase. 80.51% of cases were diagnosed respiratory complications. The percentage distribution of these complications were: in 48.12% aspiration pneumonia due to fluids, in 40.05% chemical aspiration pneumonitis and in 11.81% aspiration pneumonia due to solids. The overall mortality associated with respiratory complications compared to the total of cases of dysphagia was 24.49%. 50.48% of patients diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia died. The main cause of dysphagia was neurological diseases (77.25%). Mortality was significantly higher in women - 42.3% of women compared with 7.8% of males - (p < 0.01) and this difference remained after adjusting the result by age: OR 9,937, 95% CI: 5,446; 18,131. 13.10% of patients re-entered at least on one occasion. Patients of geriatric unit that presented in greater number of readmissions by admissions.

Discussion:

neurological diseases were the main cause of dysphagia. Mortality was significantly higher in women