epidemiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

With a rapidly ageing population, the number of patients suffering from mulitmorbidity is increasing.

  • the condition is commonly seen in older patients and in patients with low socio-economic status

  • a Scottish study has reported that
    • two or more chronic conditions were present in approximately 65% of those aged more than 65 years and almost 82% of those aged 85 years or more

  • a study done in the UK has estimated that one in six patients suffer from more than one long term condition  

Prevalence of multimorbidity is reported to be between 20-30% when considering the whole population, and 55-98% when only older people.

  • prevalence increases with age but the absolute number of patients with multimorbidity is higher in those aged 65 years or less than among older people (more than 65 years) (1,2)   

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