The morbidity spectrum seen by general practitioners in South Africa

Information was obtained from a survey of a representive sample of 8% of the medical practitioners in South Africa in 1985. Each practitioner recorded all reasons for contact, diagnoses, whether a contact was new or a repeat, and demographic details of the patients over a 1-week period. Tables are presented only for general practitioners for contact rates of 70 causes of morbidity (ICD abridged list) as well as a chronicity index for each condition (the ratio of repeat to new contacts for that condition). Acute respiratory infections and diseases of the genito-urinary system were the most common reasons for contact, while diabetes mellitus was the condition with the highest chronicity.