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| Abstract | One would expect the Maltese situation to mirror international trends with increases in chronic diseases, multi morbidity, disabilities and social problems. Diseases that are more prevalent locally in older age groups, such as diabetes mellitus type II, would also increase. Local morbidity data could be useful to explore the phenomenon. Since 2000 the author has been collecting data from the electronic patient records of Maltese Family Doctors who use the International Classification of Primary Care to code all elements of their contacts with patients, including diagnoses and interventions (Soler and Okkes, 2004). On comparing morbidity between age groups, one can see that the distributions of diagnostic titles are markedly different. In the elderly, the general, cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems predominate, whilst in the overall distribution the respiratory diagnoses dominate, followed by general and then digestive diagnostic titles. If these trends are representative, one can predict a significant shift in local morbidity patterns away from acute (and often infective) generalised, gastrointestinal or respiratory illness, towards more chronic and degenerative disease as the population ages. |
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| Journal | Primary Care Concepts and PrinciplesModule, MSc. Primary Health Care, University of Ulster |
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| Pages | - |
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| Key words | Longevity, disease pattern, family practice, primary care, Transhis, electronic medical record |