Archives of disease in childhood
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The widening gap in health outcomes between rich and poor is particularly evident among children and social inequalities in health are therefore of great concern to readers of this journal. Reducing inequalities in health is an important component of UK health policy.
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(1) To determine the proportion of children evaluated for musculoskeletal pain in a paediatric primary care clinic over a three year period; (2) to describe the number of office visits due to musculoskeletal pain; (3) to categorise the more common presenting complaints; and (4) to characterise the aetiology of musculoskeletal pain in a paediatric primary care clinic. ⋯ Musculoskeletal pain is a common presenting complaint in primary care. The number of children presenting with musculoskeletal pain increases as they grow older, being particularly frequent among the adolescent population. The spectrum of aetiologies involved is limited, to the extent that three are responsible for almost 80% of cases.