Table 1

Comparisons of age and sex-specific rates (expressed as numbers of patients per 10 000 patient years at risk) from the GPRD and MSGP4 for asthma; hayfever or allergic rhinitis; COPD excluding asthma; acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis and “chest infection”; and pneumonia. All GPRD rates are a weighted average of 1991 and 1992 figures except hayfever which relates to 1992 only

Age (years)		Asthma			Hayfever or allergic rhinitis			COPD				Acute bronchitis/ bronchiolitis				Pneumonia
Age (years)		GPRD Asthma	GPRD Inhaler therapy +asthma diagnosis		MSGP4 Asthma (ICD9 493)	GPRD Hayfever		GPRD Hayfever therapy and diagnosis	MSGP4 Allergic rhinitis (ICD9 477)			GPRD Inhaler therapy +COPD diagnosis	MSGP4 COPD (ICD9 491,492 496)			GPRD Chest infection	GPRD Acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis or “chest infection”	MSGP4 Acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis (ICD9 466)	GPRD Pneumonia	MSGP4 All causes of pneumonia (ICD9 480-6)
Male
0–4	735	846	994	131	125	187	5^1-150	7^1-150		1542	1695	1664		35	44
5–15	796	1086	860	545	687	576	4	2^1-150		451	463	440		11	20
16–24	358	570	396	467	617	421	3	5^1-150		313	329	358		5	7
25–44	227	381	258	276	367	240	12	10		348	366	374		9	13
45–64	221	391	260	132	215	119	158	145		602	627	632		20	26
65–74	338	620	372	103	197	101	637	528		1204	1242	1148		73	74
75–84	323	661	360	81	141	89	927	665		1717	1757	1521		238	163
85+	178	454	267	43	66	59	833	689		2218	2258	1913		698	404
Female
0–4	481	548	722	90	89	121	4^1-150	4^1-150		1314	1430	1488		23	31
5–15	592	793	645	449	557	465	3	4^1-150		393	403	402		8	11
16–24	411	574	459	560	692	555	4^1-150	6^1-150		414	435	502		4	9
25–44	279	419	334	383	504	366	13	13		529	556	615		9	12
45–64	290	479	342	183	297	175	123	107		777	811	894		14	22
65–74	340	600	412	111	202	123	364	258		1125	1162	1136		49	50
75–84	271	536	334	69	120	72	397	287		1346	1383	1242		147	116
85+	130	306	181	36	56	33	301	195		1834	1869	1588		517	300

↵1-150 Small numbers (<30 patients) within age/sex category.