title: Morbidity pattern and utilization of a primary health care center in a low socioeconomic area of Karachi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the morbidity pattern according to age, gender and seasonal variation using the ICD coding and the utilization of Primary Health Care (PHC) center services in a demographically defined community.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data collected from 2001-2003 was analyzed using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) coding for identifying the morbidity patterns presenting at the PHC Center. The age and gender distribution of the patients and the seasonal variation of few diseases were noted. Only the residents of the area visiting the center for preventive or curative services were included. A structured performa was designed to enter the age, gender, disease and ICD codes. The faculty was trained for using the coding system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 13,519 patients visited the PHC during three-year period. On an average, 376 patients were seen during a month with male to female ratio of 1:2. The most common diseases presented belong to the respiratory system, followed by infections or parasitic infestations and diseases of the reproductive system. The women presented for first visit of antenatal check up were 960 out of 4614 women of reproductive age group. Among the adult population, 391 (6%) presented with hypertension, 64 (1%) were Type 2 diabetics and 86 (1.3%) were asthmatics. The paediatric population analysis showed that 918 (13%) had upper respiratory infections and 1339 (19%) had diarrhoea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Problem oriented medical records from health centers, computerized in a uniform standardized way, can give extensive information about the content and burden of health problems in family practice and presumably public health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Qudsia
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Anjum
authors.forename: Ejaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Raza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rizvi
authors.forename: Jawed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Usman
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.forename: Yousuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors