General practice estimates of the prevalence of common chronic conditions.

This study measured the prevalence of chronic medical conditions in 4,549 middle aged persons attending three large general practices in Dublin over the course of a calender year. The prevalence of the following conditions were measured: coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, asthma, chronic bronchitis, rheumatic disorders, dyspepsia, depression, anxiety disorders, psychoses, and cancer. In order to obtain a valid denominator for the study a second community based study was carried out in the same areas to determine what proportion of persons visit their general practitioner over the course of a year. Overall 40.5% of males and 44% of females suffered from a least one of the twelve conditions, with rheumatic disorders having the highest prevalence (14.5%) and psychotic disorders the lowest (0.75%).