The most common diagnoses in primary care, and changes over time, in the total population of Stockholm, Sweden

Primary care is the base in many health care systems, and to identify the most registered diagnoses in primary care is a way to identify the overall health care use and needs in society. We estimated the rates of the 30 most common diagnoses in primary health care and their male to female ratio.

This was a study including inhabitants 18 years and older out of all 2.3 million inhabitants living in Region Stockholm, Sweden. Data on all healthcare appointments from primary care during 2019-2021 were extracted from the Stockholm County Council data warehouse known as VAL. Primary care data were analyzed by underlying population and age. In 2019, only physical visits were available, but during 2021 digital visits were included. For the specific diagnoses, physical and digital visits were merged.

The five most common diagnoses in primary care were: essential hypertension (I10), myalgia (M79), type 2 diabetes (E11), dorsalgia (M54), and pain in joint (M25). The female-to-male ratios were higher for 27 of the 30 most common diagnoses, for example stress reaction (F43), malaise and fatigue (R53), and headache (R51). Chronic ischaemic heart disease (I25), Type 2 diabetes (E11), and Atrial fibrillation (I48) were more common in men.

Most of the common diagnoses in primary care are more often registered in women than in men. The higher presence of diagnoses of pain and mental illness seems to mirror the higher sick leave among women in recent years.