This section shows how many patients we have with particular illnesses.
In most cases the prevalence seems to be rising but the incidence does not. One reason for this is the increasing age of our population, another might be that people with the condition are living longer. The most likely reason is that we are steadily transferring information about previous illness from the paper records onto the computer. This process was finished in 2008.
Click on a graph to see it full size.
Go To => Heart Disease : Heart Attacks : Strokes : Diabetes
Ischaemic Heart Disease includes angina, heart attacks and coronary syndromes.
The first graph shows how the prevalence varies with age and sex - IHD really gets going in the forties, affects more men than women, and kills them earlier.
The second graph shows how the prevalence is changing over time - the apparent rise in prevalence is mainly due to better computer records.
Myocardial Infarction (MI), also known as heart attack or coronary thrombosis, is included in the IHD categry above. So everyone who has had an MI will also have IHD.
The first graph shows how the prevalence varies with age and sex - MI affects many more men than women - or perhaps we are better at identifying the problem in men.
The second graph shows how the prevalence is changing over time. Unlike IHD, there is no rise in prevalence this time - probably because a heart attack is such a major event that we were pretty good at recording even past attacks on the computer by 2002.
CVAs (strokes) are the most important cause of disability in Britain. TIAs (mini-strokes) are the most important indicator that a full stroke is a possibility.
The first graph shows how the prevalence varies with age and sex. Unlike MI men and women seem to be affected in roughly equal numbers, and there are some young people affected.
The second graph shows how the prevalence is changing over time. The apparent steady rise in prevalence is certainly due to improved entering of historical records, especially of TIA.
These graphs cover only 'Type 2' diabetes. This usually comes on gradually in older people and is initially treated with diet and drugs. (Type I is sudden in onset in younger people and needs insulin straight away - it is much less common).
The first graph shows how the prevalence varies with age and sex. Generally men are affected a little more than women but there is a worrying bulge in 30-40 year old people of both sexes. These people are probably obese.
The second graph shows how the prevalence is changing over time. The apparent rise in prevalence is probably not an artefact of poor recording this time - our earliest specific clinic was for diabetes and recording has been accurate for many years. It may be that diabetes is becoming more prevalent but most of the increase is due to our policy of searching for the condition in healthy people without symptoms - treating at this stage, before damage develops, is an excellent investment. So the rise in prevalence is probaly due to earlier detection.
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