mysql> SELECT * FROM tabla;
+------+-------------+
| id | descripcion |
+------+-------------+
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | dos |
| 3 | tres |
| 4 | uno |
+------+-------------+
4 rows in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> SELECT COUNT(*) existe FROM tabla WHERE descripcion = 'uno';
+--------+
| existe |
+--------+
| 2 |
+--------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> SELECT CASE WHEN (COUNT(*) = 0) THEN 0 ELSE 1 END existe
-> FROM tabla WHERE descripcion = 'uno';
+--------+
| existe |
+--------+
| 1 |
+--------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> SELECT
-> CASE WHEN
-> EXISTS(SELECT id FROM tabla1 T1 WHERE T1.descripcion = 'uno')
-> THEN 1 ELSE 0 END existe;
+--------+
| existe |
+--------+
| 1 |
+--------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> SELECT IF(EXISTS(SELECT id
-> FROM tabla1 T1 WHERE T1.descripcion = 'cuatro'), 1, 0) existe;
+--------+
| existe |
+--------+
| 0 |
+--------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)