More illness and less disease? A 20-year perspective on chronic disease and medication

The implication of medication is that a drug is given against an illness. Over the last few decades an expanding number of drugs have appeared that focus on reducing risk factors and lifestyle conditions.

To investigate the apprehension in respect of chronic disease among the working population in a Swedish community in 2000 compared with 1980.

In 1980 and 2000 an analogous questionnaire assessing chronic diseases and medication was mailed to 250 randomly selected persons from a local population between 25 and 70 years of age.

Some 80% of the persons (n = 201) replied in 1980 and 78% (n = 195) in 2000. Individuals declaring a chronic disease increased from 23% (46/201) in 1980 to 39.5% in 2000 (p = 0.0005). Corresponding figures for men were 20.6% (20/97) in 1980 and 40.8% (40/98) in 2000 (p = 0,004) and for women 25.0% (26/104) in 1980 and 38.1% (37/97) in 2000 (p = 0.064). Persons who regularly see a doctor increased from 13% to 26% (p = 0.002) and the use of drugs for chronic diseases increased from 19% to 33% (p = 0.002). In 2000 an average of 2.3 drugs per person were used among those with a chronic disease, an increase of 53% since 1980.

Stated chronic diseases and use of drugs for such diseases increased greatly between1980 and 2000. Prescribing drugs for a "risk" with no apparent illness may be confused with the remedy for an illness.