Effects of sample selection on the coincidence of hypertension and diabetes

L. M. Gerber, A. M. Wolf, R. L. Braham and M. H. Alderman

The occurrence of both hypertension and diabetes in patients at a general medical clinic at a university center and within a work-site community has been determined. In addition, the course of such patients for four years following presentation has been observed. The combination of hypertension and diabetes appeared more frequently, was expressed by greater severity, and coincided with a higher observed morbidity among the hospital clinic patients than among the work-site population. These findings regarding the prevalence and natural history of these coexistent diseases reaffirm that the source of a selected population can significantly affect the pattern of disease expression observed and, therefore, limit the capacity to extrapolate results from one population to another.