Recent changes in the prevalence of diseases presenting for health care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Practice-based morbidity surveys inform on the prevalence of diseases presenting for health care. The last major survey in England and Wales was conducted in 1991.

Aim

To reveal changes in disease prevalence between 1991 and 2001.

Design of study

Population-based analysis of persons presenting to GPs. Annual prevalence of diseases reported in the Weekly Returns Service (WRS) of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2001 was compared with prevalence reported in Morbidity Statistics from General Practice, Fourth National Study (MSGP4).

Setting

Thirty-eight general practices contributing to the WRS, monitoring a population of 326,000 in 2001.

Method

Prevalence was determined from Read codes for morbidity entered in the respective survey y

SUBMITTER: Fleming DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1463227 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature