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.