These points are a selection from the points of interest highlighted within this edition of Scottish Health Statistics. Substantially more women than men consult their GP for anxiety and depression. The recorded incidence rate for women aged between 15 and 74 is up to three times higher than that for men.
Life expectancy continues to improve in all age groups, but still lags behind England and Wales.
In 1998 there were 25,000 more people aged over 75 compared with 10 years earlier. The trend is set to continue with an additional 20,000 forecast by 2008. Over the last 10 years, the number of prescriptions dispensed in Scotland has increased by an average of three per cent per year. But heart disease remains the most common cause of death in Scotland. Some 200,000 adult medical emergencies resulted in admission to hospital in 1998, almost double the level in 1981.