Table 1.
Summary statistics on medicine usage, including the percentage of each category taken, the mean number taken and the percentage of each prescribed (n=18 272)
| Individuals taking each medicine (%) |
Mean number of medicines taken* |
Percentage of medicines prescribed (%) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| Cardiovascular system | 24.3 | 21.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 97.7 | 97.0 |
| Gastrointestinal system | 12.1 | 14.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 94.9 | 92.4 |
| CNS (central nervous system) | 9.6 | 16.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 92.5 | 90.4 |
| CNS pain | 15.5 | 21.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 83.6 | 79.4 |
| Respiratory system | 8.1 | 8.4 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 99.1 | 99.3 |
| Infection | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 94.7 | 96.7 |
| Endocrine system | 3.4 | 9.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 99.6 | 98.5 |
| Contraception | 0.0 | 7.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | NA | 97.3 |
| Chemotherapy/immunosuppressant | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 100 | 100 |
| Musculoskeletal system | 4.5 | 9.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 63.1 | 74.6 |
| Eye | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 96.5 | 91.6 |
| Allergy | 4.2 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 78.3 | 79.4 |
| Weight loss | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 71.4 | 83.6 |
| Smoking cessation | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 100 | 91.9 |
| Dietary supplements | 9.3 | 17.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 27.7 | 25.5 |
| Skin | 3.1 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 92.2 | 85.1 |
| Diabetes | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 99.3 | 99.8 |
| Genito-urinary system | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 94.4 | 99.0 |
| Gout | 1.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 96.8 | 98.6 |
| Other | 2.6 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 72.5 | 47.1 |
| Any category | 49.3 | 62.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 88.1 | 82.5 |
Estimates weighted by age, gender, deprivation.
*Individuals not taking each medicine excluded.