Characteristics of frequent attenders in different age and sex groups in primary health care

Objective - To compare frequent attenders in different age and sex groups with a control group according to characteristics and use of primary health care. Design - Descriptive study of medical records. Setting - Primary health care centre. Subjects - 341 frequent attenders, divided by age and sex, were compared with 1025 controls from the same area. Main outcome measures - Consultation rate, diagnoses, prescribed medicine, referrals and certificates of illness during one year. Results - Frequent attenders constituted 3.3% of the population but accounted for 25% of all visits to the GP and 44% of all illness certificates allocated. They were given more antibiotic prescriptions and consulted the GP more often for most medical problems. Frequent attenders had a morbidity, with a preponderance of infections at a young age, musculoskeletal and respiratory problems in middle age, and, among the oldest, circulatory, endocrine and musculoskeletal diseases. Conclusion - Frequent attenders had a morbidity within different ages similar to that of the controls, but also a higher consulting frequency for most medical problems and a significantly higher consumption of antibiotics. Are frequent attenders more vulnerable individuals and more prone to all kinds of diseases, or do they just consult more often for the usual medical problems?