This quantitative study aimed to get to know the reasons that made aged people seek care at a basic health care outpatient clinic in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The data was collected in the patient files of 401 aged people attended by the health team. Initial reading of these records evidenced 4634 reasons that, after qualitative analysis, were grouped under complaints and requests for attention. In a second analysis, these data were classified as R and Z, according to ICD-10. The R category - complaints expressed by signs and symptoms- equals 64% of the reasons, with "pain" as the most common one. The other reasons, 36%, corresponded to the Z category, called requests for attention, represented by medicine prescription requests and attendance for health control. The study evidenced the complexity of this population's health care demands in the study region, showing the need for that service to develop specific and interdisciplinary care.
health of the elderly; public health; health promotion; international classification of diseases
