Sairastuneilla

Sairastuneilla is a Finnish grammatical form used to refer to people who are ill. It comes from the verb sairastua, meaning to fall ill, and the noun or participle sairastunut, meaning an ill person. The form sairastuneilla is the inessive plural, which in context functions to denote “among the ill” or “the ill people.” In everyday language it may appear in sentences that discuss health status within a group, for example: Sairastuneilla on suurempi riski komplikaatioihin kuin terveillä, andeTutkimus examined the needs of sairastuneilla.

In public health, epidemiology and social science, sairastuneilla is used to describe a subset of a population defined by illness. It is a neutral, descriptive term that avoids naming a specific disease. Because it does not specify diagnosis, it is commonly paired with other descriptors or measurements, such as disease prevalence, duration of illness, or care requirements. The contrast term is typically terveet (the healthy).

Etymologically, sairastuneilla reflects Finnish word formation: sairastunut (ill person) + inessive plural ending -illa/-illä. Related terms include sairastuneita (partitive form referring to ill people in a different grammatical case) and sairaus (illness). The word is used primarily in formal or semi-formal writing and is chosen for clinical clarity rather than everyday colloquial speech.

Note: As with any reference to health status, care should be taken regarding privacy and the context in which the group is mentioned.