Chronic conditions afflict most clinic patients

Six out of 10 clinic patients have hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol levels, according to a survey by the Medical Association. The association studied 3,781 randomly chosen patients who sought medical help at 18 private clinics between June and October. Results showed that those who were in their 70s were more likely to have hypertension and diabetes, while those who were in their 50s were more likely to have high cholesterol. Only 23 per cent of patients overall were taking drugs to control the conditions.