Previous research on the prevalence of medical disorders among adults with dual diagnosis (DD) has been inconclusive.

The purpose of this study was to assess dual diagnosis and medical co-morbidity at the Brief Psychiatric Inpatient Unit of Marqués de Valdecilla Hospital, Santander in the period from January 2014 until March 2015.

Ninety-three patients were admitted at our hospital from December 2014 until March 2015. The simple was analyzed retrospectively. Sixty-two of the patients (66.7%) met criteria for Dual Diagnosis. We collected socio-demographic variables, drug abuse, mental pathology, and treatment received.

The mean age of the sample was 42.95 years (± 14 DS) with a male:female ratio of 1.8:1 (no significant differences by gender). Hypertension was more prevalent among patients without dual pathology (22.5%). Patients with dual diagnosis presented hypertension less likely (6.5%) (P < 0.005). This can be explained by the fact that patients without dual diagnosis had a higher mean age (47 years) than patients with dual diagnosis (42 years). We did not found statistically significant differences between both groups respect to diabetes mellitus, vascular brain disease, HIV and dyslipidemia.

Hypertension was less likely to appear among patients with dual pathology admitted to an ultra brief psychiatry unit. This could be explained for an earlier mean age at admission among these patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.