All patients discharged from a general intensive care unit over a 4.5 year period were sent a questionnaire 3 months after discharge which investigated aspects of their health and physical abilities. Replies were compared on the basis of age, diagnosis and sickness severity on admission. Five hundred and four questionnaires were analysed. Overall, 47% of patients described their health as good/very good, 42% as fair and 11% as poor/very poor. Activity level, compared to that before their admission, was unchanged in 59%, worse in 33% and improved in 8% of patients. There were no differences in health status or changes in activity with age, diagnosis or severity of sickness. Patients aged 76 years or older were more likely to perceive their health as 'better than average' than younger patients (p < 0.01). Eight percent of patients would be unwilling to undergo intensive care again. An unacceptable health status after intensive care cannot be predicted in any group of patients.