Multimorbidity in a cohort of middle-aged women: Risk factors and disease clustering

A large proportion of the global population, especially those aged 65 and above, is affected by multimorbidity. 1 This has been defined as the co-existence of at least two chronic diseases in the same individual. 2 However, there are broader definitions, such as the one proposed by the European General Practice Research Network, which defines multimorbidity as the combination of a chronic disease with at least one other chronic or acute illness, or a socio-economic or biological risk factor.3 Regardless of the definition, multimorbidity implies increased hospitalizations or mortality rates, fragility, depression, polypharmacy, and worse overall quality of life; these impaired outcomes increase the burden on healthcare systems and related expenditures.
Source: Maturitas - Category: Primary Care Authors: Source Type: research