Table 1.
Characteristics of patients referred to secondary care
| Characteristics | No (%) of patients referred for symptom | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyspepsia (n=101 212) | Hip pain (n=23 121) | Postmenopausal bleeding (n=5492) | |
| Men | 48 177 (44.2) | 9061 (39.2) | 0 (0) |
| Women | 53 035 (55.8) | 14 060 (60.8) | 5492 (100) |
| Age group: | |||
| <25 | 10 553 (10.4) | — | — |
| 25-34 | 20 648 (20.4) | — | — |
| 35-44 | 17 766 (17.6) | — | — |
| 45-54 | 16 330 (16.1) | — | — |
| 55-64 | 16 801 (16.6) | 8753 (37.9) | 2836 (51.6) |
| 65-74 | 10 728 (10.6) | 7501 (32.4) | 1309 (23.8) |
| 75-84 | 6629 (6.5) | 5214 (22.6) | 920 (16.8) |
| ≥85 | 1757 (1.7) | 1653 (7.1) | 427 (7.8) |
| Deprivation (Townsend fifth): | |||
| 1 (least deprived) | 22 646 (22.4) | 6380 (27.6) | 1499 (27.3) |
| 2 | 21 094 (20.8) | 5686 (24.6) | 1383 (25.2) |
| 3 | 21 477 (21.2) | 4882 (21.1) | 1110 (20.2) |
| 4 | 20 427 (20.2) | 3804 (16.5) | 907 (16.5) |
| 5 (most deprived) | 15 568 (15.4) | 2369 (10.2) | 593 (10.8) |
| Comorbidity (No of drug types prescribed): | |||
| 0-1 | 57 364 (56.7) | 14 886 (64.4) | 3614 (65.8) |
| 2-4 | 37 933 (37.5) | 6959 (30.1) | 1538 (28) |
| ≥5 | 5915 (5.8) | 1276 (5.5) | 340 (6.2) |
| Smoking status: | |||
| Non-smoker | 37 798 (37.3) | 8048 (34.8) | 2461 (44.8) |
| Current smoker | 25 241 (24.9) | 3277 (14.2) | 490 (8.9) |
| Former smoker | 22 842 (22.6) | 6713 (29) | 1249 (22.7) |
| Missing data | 15 331 (15.1) | 5083 (22) | 1292 (23.5) |
| Alcohol intake: | |||
| Under limit for sex | 55 154 (54.5) | 11 627 (50.3) | 2790 (50.8) |
| Over limit for sex | 3972 (3.9) | 609 (2.6) | 48 (0.9) |
| Former drinker | 1778 (1.8) | 415 (1.8) | 82 (1.5) |
| Missing data | 40 308 (39.8) | 10 470 (45.3) | 2572 (46.8) |
| Body mass index: | |||
| <30 | 50 457 (49.9) | 11 213 (48.5) | 2388 (43.5) |
| ≥30 | 16 378 (16.2) | 3683 (15.9) | 1167 (21.2) |
| Missing data | 34 377 (34) | 8225 (35.6) | 1937 (35.3) |