Prevalence of disability observed in an Oxfordshire practice.

A register was compiled of disabled patients in an Oxfordshire practice; patients were considered to be disabled when an impairment appreciably affected their day-to-day life. The rates of disability rose with age. Three-quarters of the disabled patients had one disability, 21% two and 5% three or more disabilities. The most common source of disability was disorders of the nervous system followed by circulatory and musculoskeletal conditions. More than two-thirds of the disabilities were capable of amelioration and 4% could be completely resolved. Most patients had come to terms with their disability, only 8% finding adjustment difficult.