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Nutritional deficiency in Dutch primary care: data from general practice research and registration networks

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages S187–S194 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To explore incidence and prevalence rates of nutritional deficiency in adults in general practice.

Methods:

Six Dutch general practice research and registration networks supplied incidence and prevalence rates of nutritional deficiency by the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) or ‘E-list’ labels (‘loss of appetite, feeding problem adult, iron, pernicious/folate deficiency anaemia, vitamin deficiencies and other nutritional disorders, weight loss’). In case of disease-related nutritional deficiency, we asked whether this was labelled separately (‘co-registered’) or included in the registration of the underlying disease.

Results:

‘Iron deficiency anaemia’ had highest incidence (0.3–8.5/1000 person years), and prevalence rates (2.8–8.9/1000 person years). Nutritional deficiency was mostly documented in the elderly. In two networks ‘co-registration’ was additional, two only documented the underlying disease and two did not specify ‘co-registration’. No clear difference was found between networks considering the difference in ‘co-registration’.

Conclusion:

Nutritional deficiency is little documented in general practice, and generally is not registered separately from the underlying disease.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Dutch Dairy Association for financial support, EH van de Lisdonk for the information on networks and H Bor for ‘statistical’ support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    C A M van Wayenburg, F A van de Laar, J J van Binsbergen & C van Weel

  2. Department of General Practice and Nursing Home Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

    M W M de Waal

  3. Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Centre/University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    I M Okkes

  4. Department of General Practice, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    M van den Akker

  5. Department of General Practice, University Medical Centre Groningen, Registration Network Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    W J van der Veen

  6. NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Utrecht, The Netherlands

    F G Schellevis

  7. Division of Human Nutrition, University of Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    W A van Staveren

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  1. C A M van Wayenburg
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  2. F A van de Laar
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  3. M W M de Waal
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  6. W J van der Veen
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  8. W A van Staveren
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  9. J J van Binsbergen
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  10. C van Weel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C A M van Wayenburg.

Additional information

Guarantor: C van Weel.

Contributors: CAMvW: Development of protocol, delivering of CMR (Continuous Morbidity Registration) & data collection & analysis, drafting of manuscript. FAvdL: Development of protocol, article development (co-drafting). MWM dW: Data delivering of RNUH-LEO (Registration Network University Family Practices, Leiden and its environs), article development (co-drafting). IMO: Data delivering of Transition project, article development (co-drafting). MvdA: Data delivering of RNH (Registration Network Family Practices), article development (editing). WJvdV: Data delivering of RNG (Registration Network Groningen), article development (editing). FGS: Data delivering of NS2 (2nd National Study), article development (editing). WAvS: Article development (editing). JJvB: Development of protocol (advisor), article development (editing). CvW: Method development (advisor), article development.

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van Wayenburg, C., van de Laar, F., de Waal, M. et al. Nutritional deficiency in Dutch primary care: data from general practice research and registration networks. Eur J Clin Nutr 59 (Suppl 1), S187–S194 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602195

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