[Thyroid other endocrine and disorders in a general internal medicine group practice]

Retrospective analysis of 3397 patients of a general group practice revealed thyroid disease in 5.8% and other endocrine disease (including diabetes) in 2%. Of the total of 6629 diagnoses, one out of 25 was an endocrinopathy. Every 35th practice patient had an endocrine disease which required treatment. Endocrine laboratory tests were ordered in every 7th patient. Diabetes mellitus (1.7%), hyperthyroidism (0.38%), hypothyroidism (0.53%) and euthyroidism after goiter operation (1.4%) were the most frequent endocrine problems recorded. Euthyroid goiter was relatively rare (4%), probably because it was often considered an irrelevant finding and not coded for. The thyroid gland was therefore the most frequently affected endocrine organ and diabetes mellitus the most prevalent endocrine dysfunction. Compared with other diseases, endocrine problems were of intermediate prevalence. The analyzed group practice had relatively young patient population, which may account for the surprisingly low prevalence of diabetes mellitus. On the whole, however, the prevalence of various diseases in this group practice compared well with statistics in representative samples of Swiss medical practices.