Understanding Multimorbidity in the Elderly

Abstract

Multimorbidity is the presence of two or more long-term conditions which are those that cannot be currently cured but can be controlled. Chronic conditions are the leading cause of death globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted that 87% of deaths in high income countries were attributed to chronic conditions and the proportion of worldwide deaths caused by chronic conditions is expected to rise from 59% in 2002 to 69% in 2030. Fifty-five to ninety-eight percent of people 60 years or older are affected by two or more chronic diseases and patients with multimorbidity account for up to 80% of consultations with general practitioners and virtually all consultations with Geriatricians. Among the reasons are that Co-occurring diseases interact with each other increasing the risk of negative events beyond the sum of the risk of each disease alone.