Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research article

Multimorbidity - not just an older person's issue. Results from an Australian biomedical study

Authors: Anne W Taylor, Kay Price, Tiffany K Gill, Robert Adams, Rhiannon Pilkington, Natalie Carrangis, Zumin Shi, David Wilson

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Multimorbidity, the simultaneous occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, is usually associated with older persons. This research assessed multimorbidity across a range of ages so that planners are informed and appropriate prevention programs, management strategies and health service/health care planning can be implemented.

Methods

Multimorbidity was assessed across three age groups from data collected in a major biomedical cohort study (North West Adelaide Health Study). Using randomly selected adults, diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were determined clinically and cardio-vascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and mental health by self-report (ever been told by a doctor). A range of demographic, social, risk and protective factors including high blood pressure and high cholesterol (assessed bio-medically), health service use, quality of life and medication use (linked to government records) were included in the multivariate modelling.

Results

Overall 4.4% of the 20-39 year age group, 15.0% of the 40-59 age group and 39.2% of those aged 60 years of age or older had multimorbidity (17.1% of the total). Of those with multimorbidity, 42.1% were aged less than 60 years of age. A variety of variables were included in the final logistic regression models for the three age groups including family structure, marital status, education attainment, country of birth, smoking status, obesity measurements, medication use, health service utilisation and overall health status.

Conclusions

Multimorbidity is not just associated with older persons and flexible care management support systems, appropriate guidelines and care-coordination programs are required across a broader age range. Issues such as health literacy and polypharamacy are also important considerations. Future research is required into assessing multimorbidity across the life course, prevention of complications and assessment of appropriate self-care strategies.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Smith S, O'Dowd T: Chronic diseases: what happens when they come in multiples?. British Journal of General Practice. 2007, 57 (537): 268-270.PubMedPubMedCentral
2.
Fortin M, Bravo G, Hudon C, Vanasse A, Lapointe L: Prevalence of Multimorbidity among adults seen in Family Practice. Annals of Family Medicine. 2005, 3 (3): 223-228. 10.1370/afm.272.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Vogeli C, Shields AE, Lee TA, Gibson TB, Marder WD, Weiss KB, Blumenthal D: Multiple chronic conditions: prevalence, health consequences, and implications for quality, care management and costs. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2007, 22 (Suppl 3): 391-395. 10.1007/s11606-007-0322-1.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
4.
Bayliss EA, Edwards AE, Steiner JF, Main DS: Processes of care desired by elderly patients with multimorbidities. Family Practice. 2008, 25 (4): 287-93. 10.1093/fampra/cmn040.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
5.
Cordelius A, Edberg AK, Jakobsson U, Hallberg IR: Hospital admissions among people 65+ related to multimorbidity, municipal and outpatient care. Archives of Gerontology & Geriatrics. 2008, 46 (1): 41-55.CrossRef
6.
Wehling M: Multimorbidity and polypharmacy: how to reduce the harmful drug load and yet add needed drugs in the elderly? Proposal of a new drug classification: fit for the aged. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009, 57: 560-561. 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02131.x.CrossRefPubMed
7.
McCormick WC, Boling PA: Multimorbidity and a comprehensive Medicare care-coordination benefit. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2005, 53: 2227-2228. 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.00504.x.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Bodenheimer T, Fernandez A: High and rising health care costs. Part 4: Can costs be controlled while preserving quality?. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2005, 143: 26-31.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Loeb SJ, Penrod J, Falkenstern S, Guelder SH, Poon LW: Supporting older adults living with multiple chronic conditions. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2003, 25 (1): 8-23. 10.1177/0193945902238830.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Starfield B, Lemke KW, Bernhardt T, Foldes SS, Forrest CB, Weiner JP: Comrobidity: Implications for the importance of Primary Care in 'case' management. Annals of Family Medicine. 2003, 1 (1): 8-14. 10.1370/afm.1.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Nagel G, Peter R, Braig S, Hermann S, Rohrmann S, Linseisen J: The impact of education on risk factors and the occurrence of multimorbidity in the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort. BMC Public Health. 2008, 8 (1): 384-10.1186/1471-2458-8-384.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Schram MT, Frijters D, van de Lisdonk EH, Ploemacher J, de Craen AJM, de Waal MWM, Rooij FJ, Heeringa J, Hofman A, Deeg DJH, Schellevis FG: Setting and registry characteristics affect the prevalence and nature of multimorbidity in the elderly. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2008, 61: 1104-1112. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.11.021.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Marengoni AB, Winblad B, Karp A, Fratiglioni L: Prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity among the elderly population in Sweden. American Journal of Public Health. 2008, 98: 1198-1200. 10.2105/AJPH.2007.121137.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
14.
Marengoni A, Rizzuto D, Wang HX, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L: Patterns of chronic multimorbidity in the elderly population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009, 57: 225-230. 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02109.x.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Britt HC, Harrison CM, Miller GC, Knox SA: Prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. 2008, 189 (2): 72-77.PubMed
16.
Mercer SW, Smith SM, Wyke S, O'Dowd T, Watt GC: Multimorbidity in primary care: developing the research agenda. Family Practice. 2009, 26 (2): 79-80. 10.1093/fampra/cmp020.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Rozzini R, Sabatini T, Barbisoni P: How to measure comorbidity in elderly person. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2004, 57: 321-322. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2003.08.001.CrossRefPubMed
18.
de Groot V, Beckerman H, Lankhorst GJ, Bouter LM: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2003, 56 (3): 221-9.
19.
Tooth L, Hockey R, Byles J, Dobson A: Weighted multimorbidity indexes predicted mortality, health service use, and health-related quality of life in older women. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2008, 61 (2): 151-9. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.05.015.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Grant JF, Chittleborough CR, Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Wilson DH, Phillips PJ, Adams RJ, Cheek J, Price K, Gill T, Ruffin RE, North West Adelaide Health Study Team: The North West Adelaide Health Study: methodology and baseline segmentation of a cohort along a chronic disease continuum. Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations. 2006, 3: 4-CrossRef
21.
Grant JF, Taylor AW, Ruffin RE, Wilson DH, Phillips PJ, Adams RJT, Price K, North West Adelaide Health Study Team: Cohort profile: The North West Adelaide Health Study. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2008, 1-8.
22.
Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill T, Chittleborough CR, Wilson DH, Adams R, Grant JF, Ruffin R, North West Adelaide Health Study team: Do people with risky behaviours participate in biomedical cohort studies. BMC Public Health. 2006, 6: 9-10.1186/1471-2458-6-11.CrossRef
23.
Chittleborough C, Baldock , Taylor A, Phillips P: Health status assessed by the SF-36 along the diabetes continuum in an Australian population. Quality of Life Research. 2006, 15 (4): 687-94. 10.1007/s11136-005-3570-8.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Wilson D, Adams R, Appleton S, Ruffin R: Difficulties identifying and targeting COPD and population-attributable risk of smoking - a population study. Chest. 2005, 128: 2035-42. 10.1378/chest.128.4.2035.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Appleton S, Adams R, Wilson D, Taylor A, Ruffin R: Spirometric criteria for asthma: adding further evidence to the debate. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005, 116: 976-82. 10.1016/j.jaci.2005.08.034.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Radloff L: The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychocology Measurement. 1977, 1: 385-401. 10.1177/014662167700100306.CrossRef
27.
Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill TK, Chittleborough CR, Wilson DH, Adams RA, Grant JF, Phillips P, Appleton S, Ruffin RE: How valid are self-reported height and weight? A comparison between CATI self-report and clinic measurements using a large representative cohort study. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 2006, 30: 238-46. 10.1111/j.1467-842X.2006.tb00864.x.CrossRef
28.
Gill T, Chittleborough C, Taylor A, Ruffin R, Wilson D, Phillips P: Body mass index, waist hip ratio, and waist circumference: which measure to classify obesity?. Soz Praventivmed. 2003, 48 (3): 191-200.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Taylor AW, Dal Grande E, Gill T, Pickering S, Grant J, Adams R, Phillips P, on behalf of the NWAHS team: Comparing self-reported and measured high blood pressure and high cholesterol status using data from a large representative cohort study. Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Heath. 2010,
30.
Hosmer D, Lemeshow S: Applied Logistic Regression. 2000, New York John Wiley & Sons, 2CrossRef
31.
Kaufman DW, Kelly JP, Rosenberg L, Anderson TE, Mitchell AA: Recent patterns of medication use in the ambulatory adult population of the United States. The Slone survey. JAMA. 2002, 287: 337-344. 10.1001/jama.287.3.337.PubMed
32.
Keizer I, Gex-Fabry M, Eytan A, Bertschy G: Smoking in psychiatric inpatients: Association with working status, diagnosis, comorbid substance abuse and history of suicide attempts. Addictive Behaviors. 2009, 34 (10): 815-820. 10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.03.018.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Gijsen R, Hoeymands N, Schellevis FG, Ruwaard D, Satariono WA, van den Bos GA: Causes and consequences of co-mordidity: a review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2001, 54 (7): 661-74. 10.1016/S0895-4356(00)00363-2.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Bayliss EA, Steiner JF, Fernald DH, Crane LA, Main DS: Descriptions of barriers to self-care by persons with comorbid chronic diseases. Annals of Family Medicine. 2003, 1 (1): 15-21. 10.1370/afm.4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Metadata
Title
Multimorbidity - not just an older person's issue. Results from an Australian biomedical study
Authors
Anne W Taylor
Kay Price
Tiffany K Gill
Robert Adams
Rhiannon Pilkington
Natalie Carrangis
Zumin Shi
David Wilson
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-718

Other articles of this Issue 1/2010

BMC Public Health 1/2010 Go to the issue

Research article

AIDS knowledge and sexual activity among Flemish secondary school students: a multilevel analysis of the effects of type of education

Research article

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Pudong New Area of Shanghai using three proposed definitions among Chinese adults

Research article

Estimation of HIV-1 incidence among five focal populations in Dehong, Yunnan: a hard hit area along a major drug trafficking route

Study protocol

'BeSAFE', effect-evaluation of internet-based, tailored safety information combined with personal counselling on parents' child safety behaviours: study design of a randomized controlled trial

Research article

Gender and age differences in the recurrence of sickness absence due to common mental disorders: a longitudinal study

Research article

Ethnic differences in total and HDL cholesterol among Turkish, Moroccan and Dutch ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands