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The Article in Brief
Multimorbidity in Patients Attending 2 Australian Primary Care Practices
Tom Brett , and colleagues
Background Multimorbidity, the co-existence of multiple chronic conditions in one person, is a major health priority. This study examined the pattern and prevalence of multimorbidity among patients at two large Australian primary care practices.
What This Study Found The coexistence of multiple chronic conditions is very common in both men and women and its prevalence and severity increase steadily with age. In this study, 52 percent of all patients had two or more chronic illnesses, 35 percent had three or more, and 15 percent five or more. Musculoskeletal illness was the most common type of morbidity, followed by psychiatric, respiratory and vascular. The prevalence of multimorbidity increased with age. Overall, 58 percent of patients had mild, 49 percent had moderate, and 14 percent had severe severity index scores. Severity index scores also increased with age with moderate scores showing the greatest increase.
Implications
- Multimorbidity is significant in men and women and increases steadily with age.
Supplemental Table
Supplemental Table. List of Conditions Categorized According to Body System Domains
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