[Infectious disease in primary care: 1-year prospective study].
BACKGROUND
The frequency and seasonal variability of infectious diseases was determined in patients consulting in the primary care setting.


METHODS
In 2007, an observational, prospective study was conducted, including all persons older than 14 with infectious diseases consulting at 2 primary care practices. All infectious diseases identified over the 1-year period were recorded using a template with the following variables: age and sex, present diagnosis, prescription of an antibiotic or not, diagnostic tests used, and referral to a specialist or not.


RESULTS
Out of 12,676 patients attended over the year, 4214 presented at least one infectious disease (33.2%). A total of 4353 infections were observed, in patients with a mean age of 44.1 years (SD: 12.1). The most common infectious diseases were respiratory infections (2196, 50.4%), followed by skin infections (586, 13.5%) and urinary tract infections (452, 10.4%). The incidence of infections ranged from 39.8% in January to 30.7% in August. The greatest seasonal variation was related to respiratory tract infections, which were more frequent in winter (69.2%) and less common in summer (25.1%), whereas skin infections accounted for 22.6% of all infectious diseases in summer. A total of 962 patients had self-administered antimicrobial agents (22.8%). In respiratory tract infections, the percentage of antimicrobials self-administered by patients was greater than the percentage of prescriptions by physicians (22.2% vs. 14.7%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Infectious diseases account for one third of the visits to a general practitioner and half of these cases correspond to respiratory tract infections. There is a seasonal variation in infections, mainly for respiratory infections.
Llor
Carles
C
Centro de Salud Jaume I, Tarragona, España. carles.llor@urv.cat
Hernández
Silvia
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult