Characteristics of patients by study period
| Characteristic | Study period | |
| 1997–2003 | 2004–2009 | |
| Total number of records | 22 5819 | 197 612 |
| Age group (years), N (%) | ||
| 20–29 | 35 007 (15) | 27 355 (14) |
| 30–39 | 37 396 (17) | 27 447 (14) |
| 40–49 | 39 595 (18) | 35 562 (18) |
| 50–59 | 32 771 (14) | 34 774 (18) |
| 60–69 | 30 130 (13) | 27 920 (14) |
| 70–79 | 28 829 (13) | 24 291 (12) |
| 80+ | 22 091 (10) | 20 263 (10) |
| Median (IQR) age, years | 50 (35–68) | 52 (38–68) |
| Male, N (%) | 84 764 (38) | 76 704 (39) |
| Sickle cell diagnosis, N (%) | 3370 (1.5) | 3147 (1.6) |
| HIV diagnosis, N (%) | 7277 (3.2) | 6073 (3.1) |
| HCV diagnosis, N (%) | 3010 (1.3) | 4645 (2.4) |
| HBV diagnosis, N (%) | 870 (0.4) | 882 (0.5) |
| Other infectious and parasitic diseases, N (%) | 23 387 (10) | 21 316 (11) |
| Neoplasm, N (%) | 24 280 (11) | 20 607 (10) |
| Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, N (%) | 90 246 (40) | 92 884 (47) |
| Other haematological diseases, N (%) | 35 494 (16) | 32 444 (16) |
| Mental disorders, N (%) | 53 008 (23) | 54 546 (28) |
| Nervous system disease, N (%) | 20 727 (9) | 22 651 (11) |
| Cardiovascular diseases, N (%) | 116 107 (51) | 114 718 (58) |
| Respiratory diseases, N (%) | 49 961 (22) | 48 898 (25) |
| Digestive diseases, N (%) | 43 835 (19) | 42 811 (22) |
| Genitourinary diseases, N (%) | 44 198 (20) | 53 065 (27) |
| Skin diseases, N (%) | 15 271 (7) | 15 541 (8) |
| Musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, N (%) | 24 212 (11) | 25 842 (13) |
| Injury and poisoning, N (%) | 26 311 (12) | 25 609 (13) |
HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV; hepatitis C virus.