Table 1.
Characteristics of overall study population stratified by calendar year. N (%).
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patientsa | 5,078,868 | 4,328,589 | 4,505,988 |
| Number of practices | 2531 | 2531 | 2533 |
| Age | |||
| <18 | 877,367 (17.3) | 632,635 (14.6) | 713,362 (15.8) |
| 18–64 | 2,734,655 (53.8) | 2,406,910 (55.6) | 2,529,004 (56.1) |
| >64 | 1,466,846 (28.9) | 1,289,044 (29.8) | 1,263,622 (28.0) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 3,119,414 (61.4) | 2,728,549 (63.0) | 2,842,116 (63.1) |
| Male | 1,959,454 (38.6) | 1,600,040 (37.0) | 1,663,872 (36.9) |
| Region | |||
| East of England | 1,224,952 (24.1) | 1,035,132 (23.9) | 1,075,805 (23.9) |
| East Midlands | 891,457 (17.6) | 752,018 (17.4) | 781,568 (17.3) |
| London | 237,733 (4.7) | 202,906 (4.7) | 215,828 (4.8) |
| North East | 258,822 (5.1) | 215,502 (5.0) | 217,121 (4.8) |
| North West | 483,056 (9.5) | 419,987 (9.7) | 442,843 (9.8) |
| South East | 319,916 (6.3) | 277,702 (6.4) | 282,037 (6.3) |
| South West | 671,346 (13.2) | 587,737 (13.6) | 600,072 (13.3) |
| West Midlands | 210,697 (4.1) | 178,706 (4.1) | 187,259 (4.2) |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 778,261 (15.3) | 656,729 (15.2) | 700,849 (15.6) |
| Unknown | 2628 (0.1) | 2170 (0.1) | 2606 (0.1) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White | 3,716,152 (73.2) | 3,228,183 (74.6) | 3,331,125 (73.9) |
| Black | 68,439 (1.3) | 58,694 (1.4) | 63,471 (1.4) |
| South Asian | 274,492 (5.4) | 223,932 (5.2) | 246,564 (5.5) |
| Mixed | 59,908 (1.2) | 51,441 (1.2) | 58,622 (1.3) |
| Other | 79,612 (1.6) | 66,796 (1.5) | 72,743 (1.6) |
| Unknown | 880,265 (17.3) | 699,543 (16.2) | 733,463 (16.3) |
| Index of multiple deprivation (IMD) quintile | |||
| 1–most deprived | 897,996 (17.7) | 759,201 (17.5) | 774,886 (17.2) |
| 2 | 982,043 (19.3) | 833,962 (19.3) | 856,856 (19.0) |
| 3 | 1,052,727 (20.7) | 896,214 (20.7) | 925,974 (20.5) |
| 4 | 1,003,778 (19.8) | 853,066 (19.7) | 889,396 (19.7) |
| 5–least deprived | 1,061,064 (20.9) | 902,303 (20.8) | 948,083 (21.0) |
| Unknown | 81,260 (1.6) | 83,843 (1.9) | 110,793 (2.5) |
| Had SARS-CoV-2 test | |||
| No | NA | 3,157,036 (72.9) | 2,637,345 (58.5) |
| Yes | NA | 1,171,553 (27.1) | 1,868,643 (41.5) |
| Had positive SARS-CoV-2 test | |||
| No | NA | 971,994 (83.0) | 1,178,575 (63.1) |
| Yes | NA | 199,559 (17.0) | 690,068 (36.9) |
IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) quintile measured from patient-level address.
a
Number of patients: the yearly number of patients receiving antibiotics.