Background   Special climates in tropical regions affect the occurrence of common diseases, but studies describing the characteristics of common diseases in the tropics are lacking.

  Objective   To retrospectively analyze the outpatient visit data of a secondary hospital in a tropical island, and explore the differences in the spectrum of common diseases between the tropical island and the mainland, so as to provide references for the precise prevention and treatment of common diseases in the tropical island.

  Methods   According to the International Classification of Diseases (10th Revision), the outpatient medical records of 62 870 cases from 2016 to 2019 in a secondary hospital in the tropical island were analyzed.

  Results   The proportion of patients aged from 18 to 30 years had the highest incidence (60.15%). The proportion of male patients (95.83%) was higher than that of female patients (4.17%). The top five systemic diseases were diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (19.15%), diseases of the respiratory system (17.57%), diseases of the digestive system (15.50%), diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (10.24%), and injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (8.13%). The top five diseases were upper respiratory tract infections (9.81%), back pain (5.64%), accidents (5.58%), dermatitis (2.96%), and old muscle strain (2.08%).

  Conclusion   Among common diseases in the tropical island, upper respiratory tract infections are the most frequent and its pathogens are unclear. Since there is a risk of influenza outbreaks, it is necessary to improve detection capacity and formulate targeted prevention and control strategies. At the same time, attention should be paid to improving the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue disorders and skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders.