title: [Primary care consultations due to respiratory diseases in the period 2003-2008].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory diseases are the third cause of death, and the second cause of hospitalization among people aged 65 years or more in Chile.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the distribution of consultations due to respiratory diseases among adults living in Metropolitan Santiago.
  
  
  METHODS
  A daily registry of all consultations of patients older than 15 years old in seven public primary care centers, was carried out between January 2003 and December 2008. Consultations were classified as having non-respiratory or respiratory causes. The latter were broke down in upper or lower respiratory diseases, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,170,941 consultations were registered and 19% were due to respiratory diseases. Of these, 46% were due to upper respiratory diseases, 31% due to lower respiratory diseases, 8% due to COPD, 6% due to pneumonia, 5% due to asthma and 4% due to other respiratory causes. Pneumonia and COPD were more frequent among consultants older than 65 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consultations due to respiratory diseases are approximately one fifth of all primary care consultations. Older people often have more chronic and severe diseases.
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Olmos
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Mancilla
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Martínez
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Astudillo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult