[Use of drugs in a urban population].

We surveyed 605 households selected by conglomerate random sampling in a typical Chilean city in order to study patterns of utilization of medicinal agents. The critical item investigated drug use in the week preceding the interview. The 95% confidence limits for drug utilization were 24.1 and 26.8% and for medicinal plants 16.7 and 18.7%. Mothers (35.7%) and children (32.1%) used more drugs than adult males. Analgesics and minor tranquilizer were the drugs most frequently used, the main indication being related to respiratory diseases. Self prescription of drugs was about 30%.