Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Techirghiol balneal and rehabilitation
sanatorium - analysis of epidemiological data
Ionescu EV (1) , Profir D (1) , Surdu O (1-2) , Marin V (1) , Demirgian S (1)
(1) Balneal and Rehabilitation SanatoriumTechirghiol. Romania
(2) Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine. University Ovidius Constanta. Romania
ionilein76@yahoo.com
Introduction and Objectives
Balneal and Rehabilitation Sanatorium is situated on the shore of Techirghiol
Lake, near the Black Sea and was established over one century. The sanatorium
gained its fame over the years, due to the great number of Romanian and foreign
patients treated here with natural cure factors – salted water of the lake and
sapropelic mud extracted from the lake. Most of the inpatients are admitted in the
sanatorium on a basis of state medical insurance system, only a small number come
by direct payment.
Aims: analysis of epidemiological data (gender, age, somatic features), in order
to establish the characteristics of population that benefits from treatment with
natural specific factors; to participate in a comprehensive comparative international
study, in order to compare the groups of patients that address to balneal establishments
from other countries with tradition in this field; to contribute to a common
background for research in this field.
Materials and Methods
The study is still ongoing up to 30th of April 2012. Until now over 6000 patients
were registered. The patients were admitted for a period of 12 days up to 30 days
and received complex rehabilitation treatment: hydro-kinetic-therapy in the salted
water of the pool, alternative with warm mud baths or hot mud wrapping, massage,
electrotherapy, kinetotherapy. All patients underwent an initial clinical examination
and then the physician filled up a questionnaire, which includes personal data
(name, gender, age, profession, place of residence, weight, height, being smoker or
nonsmoker, associated diseases, values of blood pressure and pulse at admission,
stress level induced by the main symptom), data about the disease requiring admission
and, finally, the group of affections in which fit the existing symptoms. Data
from the questionnaires were statistically processed and plotted. The used questionnaire
was conceived by a group of doctors from the sanatorium.
Results
It seems that feminine population is predominant among all admitted patients.
Mean age of inpatients is between 40 and 50 years.
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 143-144
143
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4