Multimorbidity Patterns in the General Population: Results from the EpiChron Cohort Study

Ignatios Ioakeim-Skoufa, Beatriz Poblador-Plou, Jonás Carmona-Pírez, Jesús Díez-Manglano, Rokas Navickas, Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu, Francisca González-Rubio, Elena Jureviciene, Laimis Dambrauskas, Alexandra Prados-Torres and Antonio Gimeno-Miguel
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Ignatios Ioakeim-Skoufa: EpiChron Research Group, IIS Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Beatriz Poblador-Plou: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Jonás Carmona-Pírez: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Jesús Díez-Manglano: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Rokas Navickas: Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Francisca González-Rubio: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Elena Jureviciene: Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
Laimis Dambrauskas: Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
Alexandra Prados-Torres: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Antonio Gimeno-Miguel: EpiChron Research Group, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: The correct management of patients with multimorbidity remains one of the main challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. In this study, we analyze the existence of multimorbidity patterns in the general population based on gender and age. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals of all ages from the EpiChron Cohort, Spain (1,253,292 subjects), and analyzed the presence of systematic associations among chronic disease diagnoses using exploratory factor analysis. We identified and clinically described a total of 14 different multimorbidity patterns (12 in women and 12 in men), with some relevant differences in the functions of age and gender. The number and complexity of the patterns was shown to increase with age in both genders. We identified associations of circulatory diseases with respiratory disorders, chronic musculoskeletal diseases with depression and anxiety, and a very consistent pattern of conditions whose co-occurrence is known as metabolic syndrome (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidaemia), among others. Our results demonstrate the potential of using real-world data to conduct large-scale epidemiological studies to assess the complex interactions among chronic conditions. This could be useful in designing clinical interventions for patients with multimorbidity, as well as recommendations for healthcare professionals on how to handle these types of patients in clinical practice.

Keywords: age; chronic diseases; factor analysis; multimorbidity; patterns; real-world data; sex; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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