Distinct subpopulations can be identified by age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, degree of community and family support, general health, level of disability, and other characteristics (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics 2010; Pray et al. 2010).
SF-36 showed at T0 showed low value in physical role, general health and vitality, with a higher level of disability at DISS and average frequency of migraine episodes of 15.87 (ds ± 4.2) days per month.
Results of a French longitudinal community-based study, the "Handicap, Incapacité, Dépendance" (Handicap, Disability and Dependence) or HID survey, showed that people with hip arthroplasty had a higher level of disability than the general population [8].
Finally, in the evaluation of disability of the patients it is essential to understand the level of disability in the general population of same age and sex.
Schandl and colleagues assessed the baseline level of disability in a general ICU cohort (n =232) using the Katz Activity of Daily Living Index.
Cohort studies have confirmed that mobility and relief of pain are improved after knee arthroplasty [3] [7], but no study has compared the remaining level of disability after the replacement to that in the general population.
Ninety eight per cent of the UK population are registered with a general practitioner, who acts as the gatekeeper to healthcare services for all patients, regardless of level of disability or living arrangements.
Their level of disability is classified from 0.5, meaning the greatest level of physical restriction, to 3.5.
The Census Bureau reported in 2001 that 53 million Americans had "some level of disability" and that 33 million had "a severe disability".
The overall level of disability was represented as follows; grade I, little or no disability (score of 0 5), grade II, mild disability (6 10), grade III, moderate disability (11 20), and grade IV, severe disability (21 or more).
