Disease pattern among 942 mentally retarded persons in a Danish county

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An analytical description is presented of 942 mentally retarded persons from West Zealand County, [Denmark]. Mental retardation (i.e., persons who were registered with an IQ below 75) was 0.36%. Almost 1/2 of the patients were institutionalized. Of the patients, 43% were women and 57% men. Important etiological factors are listed. In almost 1/3 of the patients, similar cases were present among the closest relatives; 30% of the patients were born as the 4th or subsequent child in the family; 1/6 of the mothers were more than 35 yr old at the birth of the handicapped child. Of the patients with IQ below 50, 22% had Down''s syndrome. Of the patients, 17% had epilepsy and 11% cerebral palsy. In the central institution, all patients had psychiatric or somatic complications.