Non-communicable disease multimorbidity among tribal older adults in India: evidence from Study on Global AGEing and adult health, 2015.

Introduction: Multimorbidity defined as the simultaneous presence of two or more chronic conditions in an individual is on the rise in low- and middle-income countries such as India. With India aiming to achieve universal health coverage, it is imperative to address the inequalities in accessing healthcare, especially among vulnerable groups such as tribal. Moreover, changing lifestyle has led to the emergence of multimorbidity among tribals in India. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and assess the correlates of multimorbidity among tribal older adults in India. Methods: We employed nationally representative data from the World Health Organization's Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health conducted in 2015. We included 522 participants aged ≥50 years who reported their caste to be 'Scheduled Tribe' in the survey. A multivariable regression model assessed the association between multimorbidity and various attributes. Results: Arthritis, cataract, and hypertension were the most common chronic conditions. The overall prevalence of multimorbidity was ~22.61%. We observed a higher likelihood of having multimorbidity among respondents aged ≥80 years [AOR: 4.08 (1.17-14.18)] than the younger age groups, and among the most affluent group [AOR: 2.64 (1.06-6.56)] than the most deprived class. Conclusion: The prevalence of multimorbidity among tribal older adults is emerging which cannot be overlooked. Health and wellness centers may be a window of opportunity to provide egalitarian and quality preventive and curative services to achieve universal health coverage. Future studies should explore the outcomes of multimorbidity in terms of healthcare utilization, expenditure, and quality of life in this group.

Clusters of medical specialties around patients with multimorbidity - employing fuzzy c-means clustering to explore multidisciplinary collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Hospital care organization, structured around medical specialties and focused on the separate treatment of individual organ systems, is challenged by the increasing prevalence of multimorbidity. To support the hospitals' realization of multidisciplinary care, we hypothesized that using machine learning on clinical data helps to identify groups of medical specialties who are simultaneously involved in hospital care for patients with multimorbidity. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients in a Dutch general hospital and used a fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm for the analysis. We explored the patients' membership degrees in each cluster to identify subgroups of medical specialties that provide care to the same patients with multimorbidity. We used retrospectively collected electronic health record data from 2017. We extracted data from 22,133 patients aged ≥18 years who had received outpatient clinical care for two or more chronic and/ or oncological diagnoses. RESULTS: We found six clusters of medical specialties and identified 22 subgroups. The clusters were labeled based on the specialties that most characterized them: 1. dermatology/ plastic surgery, 2. six specialties (gynecology/ rheumatology/ orthopedic surgery/ urology/ gastroenterology/ otorhinolaryngology), 3. pulmonology, 4. internal medicine/ cardiology/ geriatrics, 5. neurology/ physiatry (rehabilitation)/ anesthesiology, and 6. internal medicine. Most patients had a full or dominant membership to one of these clusters of medical specialties (11 subgroups), whereas fewer patients had a membership to two clusters. The prevalence of specific diagnosis groups, patient characteristics, and healthcare utilization differed between subgroups. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that clusters and subgroups of medical specialties simultaneously involved in hospital care for patients with multimorbidity can be identified with fuzzy c-means cluster analysis using clinical data. Clusters and subgroups differed regarding the involved medical specialties, diagnoses, patient characteristics, and healthcare utilization. With this strategy, hospitals and medical specialists can further analyze which subgroups are target populations that might benefit from improved multidisciplinary collaboration.

Eating disorders and physical multimorbidity in the English general population.

PURPOSE: People with eating disorders may be at increased risk for physical health problems, but there are no data on the relationship between eating disorders and physical multimorbidity (i.e., ≥ 2 physical conditions) and its potential mediators. Thus, we investigated this association in a representative sample of adults from the UK, and quantified the extent to which this can be explained by various psychological and physical conditions, and lifestyle factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey were analyzed. Questions from the five-item SCOFF screening instrument were used to identify possible eating disorder. Respondents were asked about 20 physical health conditions. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Data on 7403 individuals aged ≥ 16 years were analyzed [mean (SD) age 46.3 (18.6) years; 48.6% males]. After adjustment, possible eating disorder was associated with 2.11 (95%CI = 1.67-2.67) times higher odds for physical multimorbidity. Anxiety disorder explained the largest proportion this association (mediated percentage 26.3%), followed by insomnia (21.8%), perceived stress (13.4%), depression (13.1%), obesity (13.0%), and alcohol dependence (4.3%). CONCLUSION: Future longitudinal studies are warranted to understand potential causality and the underlying mechanisms in the association between eating disorder and multimorbidity, and whether addressing the identified potential mediators in people with eating disorders can reduce multimorbidity.

Prevalence of early and late onset of chronic diseases and multimorbidity and its association with physical, mental and functional health among older Indian adults.

BACKGROUND: Identifying people with early and late onset of chronic conditions might help target the subpopulations that are more vulnerable to negative mental, physical and functional health outcomes. The current study aimed to examine the association of early and late onset of chronic single and multiple morbidities with self-perceived physical and mental health, functional limitations and physical inactivity among older Indian adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1 (2017-2018). The total sample size for the present study was 31,386 older adults age 60 years or older. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to establish the association between the outcomes (poor perceived physical/mental health, functional difficulty and physical inactivity) and explanatory variables (early [ = < 50 years of age] and late [> 50 years]) onset of chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and psychiatric disease). RESULTS: Overall, 24.21% of the sample population had poor self-perceived physical health, whereas 8.67% of participants had poor self-perceived mental health. The prevalence of difficulty in ADL, difficulty in IADL, and physical inactivity was 23.77%, 48.36%, and 68.9%, respectively. Odds of poor perceived mental health were higher for the respondents with early as well as late onset of hypertension, stroke, and arthritis; while individuals with late onset of diabetes, and heart disease had higher odds of poor perceived mental health than those without chronic disease. Individuals with early onset of single morbidity were more likely to report ADL difficulty (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.33, confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.67); while those with late onset of single (AOR: 1.34, CI: 1.17-1.53) and multimorbidity (AOR: 1.91, CI: 1.63-2.24) were more likely to report ADL difficulty compared with individuals without morbidity. Individuals with early as well as late-onset of multimorbidity had more than two times higher odds of reporting poor physical health, poor mental health and IADL difficulty compared with individuals without chronic disease. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that early and/or late onset of chronic single and/or multiple morbidities significantly predicted poor self-perceived physical and mental health, functional limitations and physical inactivity among older Indian adults. The findings further suggest that late onset of chronic diseases such as cancer and stroke and multi-morbidity had stronger associations with physical inactivity that may help identify high risk groups for screening and support.

Measuring needs-based quality of life and self-perceived health inequity in patients with multimorbidity: investigating psychometric measurement properties of the MultiMorbidity Questionnaire (MMQ) using primarily Rasch models.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is a burden for the individual and to the healthcare sector worldwide, leading to a rising number of intervention studies towards this patient group. To measure a possible effect of such interventions, an adequate patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) is essential. The aim of this study was to assess the draft MultiMorbidity Questionnaire (MMQ), a PROM measuring needs-based quality of life and self-perceived inequity in patients with multimorbidity, for its psychometric properties and to adjust it accordingly to create a content- and construct valid measure. METHODS: The draft MMQ was sent to 1198 eligible respondents with multimorbidity. Modern test theory and classical test theory were used to analyse data. Dimensionality of the suggested domains and invariance of the items were assessed through item analysis, examining the fit to a psychometric model. RESULTS: The psychometric analyses were based on responses from 390 patients with multimorbidity. In the MMQ1, measuring needs-based QoL, evidence of six unidimensional scales was confirmed: physical ability (6 items), worries (6 items), limitations in everyday life (10 items), my social life (6 items), self-image (6 items), and personal finances (3 items). The psychometric analyses of the MMQ2 outlined four unidimensional scales measuring the feeling of Self-perceived inequity in patients with multimorbidity: experiences of being stigmatised (4-5 items), Experiences of insufficient understanding of the burden of disease (3 items), Experiences of not being seen and heard (4 items), Experience of powerlessness (5 items). These scales are relevant for patients' with multimorbidity encounters with (1) their general pratitioner, (2) staff at their general practitioner's surgery, (3) healthcare professionals, (4) staff at the local authorities and (5) friends, family, and others. CONCLUSION: The MMQ, a QoL measure for patients living with multimorbidity has been validated: the MMQ1 is a condition-specific PROM with adequate psychometric properties designed to measure needs-based QoL. The MMQ2 measuring Self-perceived inequity, has also been found to possess adequate measurement properties; however due to the risk of type 2 error a revalidation of MMQ2 is suggested.

Risk factors for the progression to multimorbidity among UK urban working-age adults. A community cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The progression of long-term conditions (LTCs) from zero-to-one (initiation), and from one-to-many (progression)are common trajectories that impact a person's quality of life including their ability to work. This study aimed to explore the demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related determinants of LTC initiation and progression, with a focus on work participation. METHODS: Data from 622 working-age adults who had completed two waves (baseline and follow-up) of the South-East London Community Health survey were analysed. Chi square tests and multinomial logistic regression were used to describe the associations between self-reported demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related variables, and the progression of LTCs. RESULTS: Small social networks, an increased number of stressful life events, low self-rated health, functional impairment, and increased somatic symptom severity were all associated with both the progression from zero-to-one LTC and from one LTC to multimorbidity (two or more LTCs). Renting accommodation (RRR 1.73 [95% CI 1.03-2.90]), smoking (RRR 1.91 [95% CI 1.16-3.14]) and being overweight (RRR 1.88 [95% CL 1.12-3.16]) were unique risk factors of developing initial LTCs, whereas low income (RRR 2.53 [95% CI 1.11-5.80]), working part-time (RRR 2.82 ([95% CL 1.12-7.10]), being unemployed (RRR 4.83 [95% CI 1.69-13.84]), and making an early work exit (RRR 16.86 [95% CI 3.99-71.30]) all increased the risk of progressing from one LTC to multimorbidity compared to being employed full-time. At follow-up, depression was the most prevalent LTC in the unemployed group whereas musculoskeletal conditions were the most prevalent in those working. CONCLUSIONS: The journey to multimorbidity is complex, with both common and unique risk factors. Non-full-time employment was associated with an increased risk of progression to multimorbidity. Future research should explore the risk and benefit pathways between employment and progression of LTCs. Interventions to prevent progression of LTCs should include mitigation of modifiable risk factors such as social isolation.

COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: the impact of multimorbidity and smoking status on vaccine hesitancy, a cohort study of 25,111 women in Wales, UK.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, smoking status, and pregnancy are identified as three risk factors associated with more severe outcomes following a SARS-CoV-2 infection, thus vaccination uptake is crucial for pregnant women living with multimorbidity and a history of smoking. This study aimed to examine the impact of multimorbidity, smoking status, and demographics (age, ethnic group, area of deprivation) on vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in Wales using electronic health records (EHR) linkage. METHODS: This cohort study utilised routinely collected, individual-level, anonymised population-scale linked data within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Pregnant women were identified from 13th April 2021 to 31st December 2021. Survival analysis was employed to examine and compare the length of time to vaccination uptake in pregnancy by considering multimorbidity, smoking status, as well as depression, diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular conditions independently. The study also assessed the variation in uptake by multimorbidity, smoking status, and demographics, both jointly and separately for the independent conditions, using hazard ratios (HR) derived from the Cox regression model. RESULTS: Within the population cohort, 8,203 (32.7%) received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, with 8,572 (34.1%) remaining unvaccinated throughout the follow-up period, and 8,336 (33.2%) receiving the vaccine postpartum. Women aged 30 years or older were more likely to have the vaccine in pregnancy. Those who had depression were slightly but significantly more likely to have the vaccine compared to those without depression (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.14, p = 0.002). Women living with multimorbidity were 1.12 times more likely to have the vaccine compared to those living without multimorbidity (HR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19, p = 0.001). Vaccine uptakes were significantly lower among both current smokers and former smokers compared to never smokers (HR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.94, p < 0.001 and HR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.98, p = 0.015 respectively). Uptake was also lower among those living in the most deprived areas compared to those living in the most affluent areas (HR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.96, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Younger women, living without multimorbidity, current and former smokers, and those living in the more deprived areas are less likely to have the vaccine, thus, a targeted approach to vaccinations may be required for these groups. Pregnant individuals living with multimorbidity exhibit a slight but statistically significant reduction in vaccine hesitancy towards COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Maternal multimorbidity and preterm birth in Scotland: an observational record-linkage study.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is common in women across the life course. Preterm birth is the single biggest cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. We aim to estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity in pregnant women and to examine the association between maternal multimorbidity and PTB. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from the Scottish Morbidity Records. All pregnancies among women aged 15 to 49 with a conception date between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018 were included. Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more pre-existing long-term physical or mental health conditions, and complex multimorbidity as the presence of four or more. It was calculated at the time of conception using a predefined list of 79 conditions published by the MuM-PreDiCT consortium. PTB was defined as babies born alive between 24 and less than 37 completed weeks of gestation. We used Generalised Estimating Equations adjusted for maternal age, socioeconomic status, number of previous pregnancies, BMI, and smoking history to estimate the effect of maternal pre-existing multimorbidity. Absolut rates are reported in the results and tables, whilst Odds Ratios (ORs) are adjusted (aOR). RESULTS: Thirty thousand five hundred fifty-seven singleton births from 27,711 pregnant women were included in the analysis. The prevalence of pre-existing multimorbidity and complex multimorbidity was 16.8% (95% CI: 16.4-17.2) and 3.6% (95% CI: 3.3-3.8), respectively. The prevalence of multimorbidity in the youngest age group was 10.2%(95% CI: 8.8-11.6), while in those 40 to 44, it was 21.4% (95% CI: 18.4-24.4), and in the 45 to 49 age group, it was 20% (95% CI: 8.9-31.1). In women without multimorbidity, the prevalence of PTB was 6.7%; it was 11.6% in women with multimorbidity and 15.6% in women with complex multimorbidity. After adjusting for maternal age, socioeconomic status, number of previous pregnancies, Body Mass Index (BMI), and smoking, multimorbidity was associated with higher odds of PTB (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.48-1.82). CONCLUSIONS: Multimorbidity at the time of conception was present in one in six women and was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Multimorbidity presents a significant health burden to women and their offspring. Routine and comprehensive evaluation of women with multimorbidity before and during pregnancy is urgently needed.

Ubuntu as a mediator in coping with multimorbidity treatment burden in a disadvantaged rural and urban setting in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: People living with multimorbidity in economically precarious circumstances in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience a high workload trying to meet self-management demands. However, in countries such as South Africa, the availability of social networks and support structures may improve patient capacity, especially when networks are governed by cultural patterns linked to the Pan-African philosophy of Ubuntu, which promotes solidarity through humanness and human dignity. We explore the mediating role Ubuntu plays in people's ability to self-manage HIV/NCD multimorbidity in underprivileged settings in urban and rural South Africa. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 patients living with HIV/NCD multimorbidity between February-April 2022. Patients attended public health clinics in Gugulethu, Cape Town and Bulungula, Eastern Cape. We analysed interviews using framework analysis, using the Cumulative Complexity Model (CuCoM) and Burden of Treatment Theory (BoTT) as frameworks through which to conceptualise the data. RESULTS: Despite facing economic hardship, people with multimorbidity in South Africa were able to cope with their workload. They actively used and mobilized family relations and external networks that supported them financially, practically, and emotionally, allowing them to better self-manage their chronic conditions. Embedded in their everyday life, patients, often unconsciously, embraced Ubuntu and its core values, including togetherness, solidarity, and receiving Imbeko (respect) from health workers. This enabled participants to share their treatment workload and increase self-management capacity. CONCLUSION: Ubuntu is an important mediator for people living with multimorbidity in South Africa, as it allows them to navigate their treatment workload and increase their social capital and structural resilience, which is key to self-management capacity. Incorporating Ubuntu and linked African support theories into current treatment burden models will enable better understandings of patients' collective support and can inform the development of context-specific social health interventions that fit the needs of people living with chronic conditions in African settings.

Epidemiological Characteristics of 101,471 Patients Hospitalized with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Poland in 2019: Multimorbidity, Duration of Hospitalization, In-Hospital Mortality.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease. There is a limited amount of nationwide data on COPD patients in Poland. This study aimed to characterize patients hospitalized with COPD in Poland in 2019 as well as to identify factors associated with the risk of in-hospital death and prolonged hospitalization among patients with COPD. This study is a retrospective database analysis. Data on patients hospitalized with COPD in Poland were obtained from the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Dataset. Data on all adults aged ≥40 years with a diagnosis of COPD from a physician (J44 code) were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed separately for patients hospitalized due to COPD (primary diagnosis) and patients with COPD as a comorbidity (secondary diagnosis). Completed medical records were available for 101,471 patients hospitalized with COPD (36.9% were females). Of those, 32% were hospitalized due to COPD. The mean age was 71.4 ± 9.7 years. The mean duration of hospitalization was 9.4 ± 11.4 days (median 7 days). Most of the COPD patients (89.3%) had at least one comorbidity. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.8%. Older age, presence of cardiovascular diseases, and diseases of the genitourinary system (p < 0.05) were the most important factors associated with the risk of in-hospital death among patients hospitalized due to COPD.

[Associations of cardiometabolic multimorbidity with grip strength and gait speed among older Chinese adults].

Objective: To investigate the associations of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) with grip strength and gait speed among older Chinese adults. Methods: This study included participants aged ≥60 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey during 2011-2015. Generalized estimating equation models were employed to estimate the associations of CMM with grip strength and gait speed. Results: A total of 6 357 participants were included to measure grip strength and 6 250 participants to measure gait speed. Compared with no cardiometabolic disease, participants with 1 (ß=-0.018, 95%CI: -0.026--0.010), 2 (ß=-0.029, 95%CI: -0.041- -0.018), and ≥3 (ß=-0.050, 95%CI: -0.063- -0.037) cardiometabolic diseases were associated with a decreased grip strength. The associations between cardiometabolic disease counts (1: ß=-0.052, 95%CI: -0.326-0.222; 2: ß=-0.083, 95%CI: -0.506-0.340; ≥3: ß=-0.186, 95%CI: -0.730-0.358) and gait speed were not statistically significant. The predictive value of gait speed of the participants with 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 cardiometabolic diseases were found to be 1.98 (95%CI: 1.38-2.58), 1.93 (95%CI: 1.34-2.51), 1.89 (95%CI: 1.18-2.61), and 1.79 (95%CI: 1.10-2.48) m/s respectively, which was clinically significant for the magnitude of the decrease. Cardiometabolic combinations with a higher risk of decreased grip strength and gait speed mainly seen in diabetes. Conclusions: Cardiometabolic disease counts and combinations were associated with grip strength and gait speed. Grip strength and gait speed can be used to measure CMM severity.

[Estimated multimorbity among young Brazilians: results of the 2019 National Health Survey]. / Estimativa de multimorbidade em jovens brasileiros: resultados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2019.

Multimorbidity, namely the presence of two or more chronic non-communicable diseases, is directly associated with behavioral factors. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity among young Brazilians by linking it to different social and lifestyle determinants. It involved a cross-sectional study of the data source, namely the 2019 National Health Survey. Data from individuals aged between 15 and 24 years (n = 10,460) were selected. Associated factors were investigated by calculating the Prevalence Ratio with robust variance, suitable for bivariate and multivariate analysis. The prevalence of multimorbidity in young people was estimated at 7.84% (95%CI: 7.01-8.75; N: 2,455,097). The most common conditions were mental illness, depression, asthma or bronchitis and chronic back problems. In the adjusted model, young females (PR: 1.84; 95%CI: 1.44-2.36), obese youths (PR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.45-2.68) and former smokers (PR: 1.46; 95%CI: 1.12-1.90) showed a higher prevalence of multimorbidity. It was also revealed that the prevalence ratio for multimorbidity increased by 5% for each year of the individual's life. This study identified an association of multimorbidity with social determinants and lifestyle.

A multimorbidade, presença de duas ou mais doenças crônicas não transmissíveis, está diretamente associada a fatores comportamentais. O objetivo da pesquisa foi estimar a prevalência de multimorbidade em jovens brasileiros relacionando-a aos diferentes determinantes sociais e de estilo de vida. Trata-se de um estudo transversal cuja fonte de dados foi a Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde em 2019. Foram selecionados dados de indivíduos com idade entre 15 e 24 anos (n = 10.460). Os fatores associados foram investigados por meio do cálculo da razão de prevalência com variância robusta, adequado para análise bivariada e multivariada. A prevalência de multimorbidade nos jovens foi estimada em 7,84% (IC95%: 7,01-8,75; N: 2.455.097). Os agravos mais comuns foram doenças mentais, depressão, asma ou bronquite e problemas crônicos de coluna. No modelo ajustado, jovens do sexo feminino (RP: 1,84; IC95%: 1,44-2,36), obesos (RP: 1,97; IC95%: 1,45-2,68) e ex-fumantes (RP: 1,46; IC95%: 1,12-1,90) apresentaram maiores prevalências para multimorbidade. A razão de prevalência para multimorbidade aumentou 5% a cada ano de vida do indivíduo. Este estudo identificou uma associação de multimorbidade com determinantes sociais e estilo de vida.

Integrative GWAS and co-localisation analysis suggests novel genes associated with age-related multimorbidity.

Advancing age is the greatest risk factor for developing multiple age-related diseases. Therapeutic approaches targeting the underlying pathways of ageing, rather than individual diseases, may be an effective way to treat and prevent age-related morbidity while reducing the burden of polypharmacy. We harness the Open Targets Genetics Portal to perform a systematic analysis of nearly 1,400 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) mapped to 34 age-related diseases and traits, identifying genetic signals that are shared between two or more of these traits. Using locus-to-gene (L2G) mapping, we identify 995 targets with shared genetic links to age-related diseases and traits, which are enriched in mechanisms of ageing and include known ageing and longevity-related genes. Of these 995 genes, 128 are the target of an approved or investigational drug, 526 have experimental evidence of binding pockets or are predicted to be tractable, and 341 have no existing tractability evidence, representing underexplored genes which may reveal novel biological insights and therapeutic opportunities. We present these candidate targets for exploration and prioritisation in a web application.

Tratamientos modificadores de la enfermedad en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple en España / Disease-modifying treatments for patients with multiple sclerosis in Spain

La esclerosis múltiple es una enfermedad desmielinizante crónica del sistema nervioso central y discapacitante a largo plazo. Existen diferentes tratamientos modificadores de la enfermedad. Estos pacientes, a pesar de ser generalmente jóvenes, tienen una elevada comorbilidad y riesgo de polimedicación por su compleja sintomatología y discapacidad. Objetivo principal determinar el tipo de tratamiento modificador de la enfermedad en los pacientes atendidos en servicios de farmacia de hospitales españoles. Objetivos secundarios Conocer los tratamientos concomitantes, determinar la prevalencia de la polifarmacia, identificar la prevalencia de interacciones y analizar la complejidad farmacoterapéutica. Método estudio observacional, transversal y multicéntrico. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes con diagnóstico de esclerosis múltiple y tratamiento modificador de la enfermedad activo a los que se atendió en las consultas de pacientes externos o en los hospitales de día durante la segunda semana de febrero 2021. Se recogieron: el tratamiento modificador, las comorbilidades y los tratamientos concomitantes para determinar el patrón de multimorbilidad, polifarmacia, complejidad farmacoterapéutica (Medication Regimen Complexity Index) e interacciones medicamentosas. Resultados se incluyeron 1.407 pacientes de 57 centros de 15 Comunidades Autónomas. La forma de presentación de la enfermedad más frecuente fue la forma remitente recurrente (89,3%). El tratamiento modificador de la enfermedad más prescrito fue dimetilfumarato (19,1%), seguido de teriflunomida (14,0%). De los tratamientos modificadores parenterales, los 2 más prescritos fueron el acetato de glatiramero y el natalizumab con un 11,1 y 10,8% respectivamente. El 24,7% de los pacientes tenían una comorbilidad y el 39,8% al menos 2 comorbilidades. El 13,3% pertenecía al menos a uno de los patrones definidos de multimorbilidad y el 16,5% pertenecían a 2 o más patrones. ... (AU)

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and long-term disabling. Different disease-modifying treatments are available. These patients, despite being generally young, have high comorbidity and risk of polymedication due to their complex symptomatology and disability.Objective primaryTo determine the type of disease-modifying treatment in patients seen in Spanish hospital pharmacy departments.Secondary objectivesTo determine concomitant treatments, determine the prevalence of polypharmacy, identify the prevalence of interactions and analyse pharmacotherapeutic complexity.MethodObservational, cross-sectional, multicentre study. All patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and active disease-modifying treatment who were seen in outpatient clinics or day hospitals during the second week of February 2021 were included. Modifying treatment, comorbidities and concomitant treatments were collected to determine multimorbidity pattern, polypharmacy, pharmacotherapeutic complexity (Medication Regimen Complexity Index) and drug-drug interactions.Results1,407 patients from 57 centres in 15 autonomous communities were included. The most frequent form of disease presentation was the relapsing remitting form (89.3%). The most prescribed disease-modifying treatment was dimethyl fumarate (19.1%), followed by teriflunomide (14.0%). Of the parenteral disease-modifying treatments, the two most prescribed were glatiramer acetate and natalizumab with 11.1% and 10.8%. 24.7% of the patients had one comorbidity and 39.8% had at least 2 comorbidities. 13.3% belonged to at least one of the defined patterns of multimorbidity and 16.5% belonged to 2 or more patterns. The concomitant treatments prescribed were psychotropic drugs (35.5%); antiepileptic drugs (13.9%) and antihypertensive drugs and drugs for cardiovascular pathologies (12.4%). ... (AU)

Implementation of a Community-Based Mind-Body (Tae-Bo) Physical Activity Programme on Health-Related Physical Fitness in Rural Black Overweight and Obese Women with Manifest Risk Factors for Multimorbidity.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally, particularly impacting low- and middle-income countries and rural dwellers. Therefore, this programme aimed to investigate if a community-based mind-body PA programme implemented in a low-resource setting could improve health-related physical fitness outcomes. Black overweight or obese adult women (25 ± 4.7 years) with a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg·m-2 recruited from a rural settlement in South Africa with manifest risk factors for multimorbidity were assigned to a 10-week waiting-to-treat non-exercising control group (n = 65) or a community-based mind-body programme (n = 60) consisting of 45-60 min, thrice-weekly Tae-Bo. The intervention resulted in significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvements in body weight (p = 0.043), BMI (p = 0.037), and waist (p = 0.031) and hip circumferences (p = 0.040). Flexibility was found to be significantly increased at mid- and post-programme (p = 0.033 and p = 0.025, respectively) as was static balance (mid: p = 0.022; post: p = 0.019), hand grip strength (mid: p = 0.034; post: p = 0.029), sit-up performance (mid: p = 0.021; post: p = 0.018), and cardiorespiratory endurance (mid: p = 0.017; post: p = 0.011). No significant change was found in sum of skinfolds following the programme (p = 0.057). Such a community-based mind-body programme presents an opportunity to level health inequalities and positively improve health-related physical fitness in low-resource communities irrespective of the underlying barriers to participation.

Improving outpatient clinic experience: the future of chronic kidney disease care and associated multimorbidity.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect more than 2.5 million adults in England, and this is expected to rise to 4.2 million by 2036 (1). Population-level digital healthcare systems have the potential to enable earlier detection of CKD providing an opportunity to introduce interventions that attenuate progression and reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Services that can support patients with CKD, CVD, and diabetes mellitus (DM) have the potential to reduce fragmented clinical care and optimise pharmaceutical management. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Salford renal service has established an outpatient improvement programme which aims to address these issues via two projects. Firstly, the development of a CKD dashboard that can stratify patients by their kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) risk. High-risk patients would be invited to attend an outpatient clinic if appropriate. Specialist advice and guidance would be offered to primary care providers looking after patients with medium risk. Patients with lower risk would continue with standard care via their primary care provider unless there was another indication for a nephrology referral. The CKD dashboard identified 11546 patients (4.4% of the total adult population in Salford) with T2DM and CKD. The second project is the establishment of the Metabolic CardioRenal (MRC) clinic. It provided care for 209 patients in the first 8 months of its establishment with a total of 450 patient visits. Initial analysis showed clustering of cardiorenal metabolic diseases with 85% having CKD stages 3 and 4 and 73.2% having DM. In addition, patients had a significant burden of CVD with 50.2% having hypertension and 47.8% having heart failure. CONCLUSION: There is a pressing need to create new outpatient models of care to tackle the rising epidemic of cardio-renal metabolic diseases. This model of service has potential benefits at both organisational and patient levels including improving patient management via risk stratification, increased care capacity and reduction of variation of care. Patients will benefit from earlier intervention, appropriate referral for care, reduction in CKD-related complications, and reduction in hospital visits and cardiovascular events. In addition, this combined digital and patient-facing model of care will allow rapid translation of advances in cardio-renal metabolic diseases into clinical practice.

Assessment of health-related quality of life among patients with obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relationship with multimorbidity.

Obesity, hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are among the multifactorial disorders that occur at higher prevalence in a population. This study aims to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with obesity, HTN and T2D individually and in the form of multimorbidity. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the patients in 15 private clinics of Punjab, Pakistan. A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect the data from patients with obesity, HTN and T2D or their comorbidity. A total of 1350 patients responded by completing the questionnaire. The HRQoL of these patients was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire (a standardized instrument for measuring generic health status). Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Multivariate linear regression model was used to model the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. In total, 15% of patients had combined obesity, HTN and T2D; 16.5% had HTN and T2D; 13.5% had obesity and HTN and 12.8% had obesity and T2D. Only 15.8% of patients had obesity, 14.3% had HTN, and 12% had T2D. Mann Whitney-U test gave the statistically significant (p = <0.001) HRQoL VAS score55.1 (±23.2) of patients with the obesity. HRQoL VAS scores of patients with obesity were found to be higher when compared to patients with both T2D 49.8 (±15.4) and HTN 48.2 (±21). Diagnosis of one, two and three diseases showed significant results in VAS with all variables including gender (p = 0.004), educational level (p = <0.001), marital status (p<0.001), residence (p = <0.001), financial situation (p = <0.001) and monthly income (p = <0.001). The most frequently observed extremely problematic dimension was anxiety/ depression (47%) and the self-care (10%) was the least affected. Patient HRQoL is decreased by T2D, HTN, and obesity. The impact of these diseases coexisting is more detrimental to HRQoL.

Healthcare fragmentation, multimorbidity, potentially inappropriate medication, and mortality: a Danish nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with multimorbidity are frequent users of healthcare, but fragmented care may lead to suboptimal treatment. Yet, this has never been examined across healthcare sectors on a national scale. We aimed to quantify care fragmentation using various measures and to analyze the associations with patient outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a register-based nationwide cohort study with 4.7 million Danish adult citizens. All healthcare contacts to primary care and hospitals during 2018 were recorded. Clinical fragmentation indicators included number of healthcare contacts, involved providers, provider transitions, and hospital trajectories. Formal fragmentation indices assessed care concentration, dispersion, and contact sequence. The patient outcomes were potentially inappropriate medication and all-cause mortality adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic factors, and morbidity level. RESULTS: The number of involved healthcare providers, provider transitions, and hospital trajectories rose with increasing morbidity levels. Patients with 3 versus 6 conditions had a mean of 4.0 versus 6.9 involved providers and 6.6 versus 13.7 provider transitions. The proportion of contacts to the patient's own general practice remained stable across morbidity levels. High levels of care fragmentation were associated with higher rates of potentially inappropriate medication and increased mortality on all fragmentation measures after adjusting for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and morbidity. The strongest associations with potentially inappropriate medication and mortality were found for ≥ 20 contacts versus none (incidence rate ratio 2.83, 95% CI 2.77-2.90) and ≥ 20 hospital trajectories versus none (hazard ratio 10.8, 95% CI 9.48-12.4), respectively. Having less than 25% of contacts with your usual provider was associated with an incidence rate ratio of potentially inappropriate medication of 1.49 (95% CI 1.40-1.58) and a mortality hazard ratio of 2.59 (95% CI 2.36-2.84) compared with full continuity. For the associations between fragmentation measures and patient outcomes, there were no clear interactions with number of conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Several clinical indicators of care fragmentation were associated with morbidity level. Care fragmentation was associated with higher rates of potentially inappropriate medication and increased mortality even when adjusting for the most important confounders. Frequent contact to the usual provider, fewer transitions, and better coordination were associated with better patient outcomes regardless of morbidity level.

Analysis of the key themes in the healthcare of older people with multimorbidity in Germany: a framework analysis as part of the LoChro trial.

OBJECTIVES: Multimorbidity challenges healthcare systems. In Germany, coordination of healthcare for older multimorbid patients remains unstructured.This study aims to identify key themes in the healthcare of these patients and the inter-relationships between them. DESIGN: Framework analysis of six cases based on 1-year data of primary and secondary care, patient-answered questionnaires and video material. SETTING: Southern Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Six multimorbid older patients participating in a randomised controlled trial that compared usual care with a local, collaborative, stepped and personalised care management approach for older people with chronic diseases (LoChro-trial). The LoChro care intervention involved a care manager who assisted participants in self-management. The primary outcome was a composite of functional health and depressive symptoms at 12 and 18 months. The LoChro-intervention had no effect on the primary outcome. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Key themes in the healthcare of older patients with multimorbidity and the inter-relationships between them. METHODS: One-year data included diagnoses, treatment plans, examinations, assessments and discharge reports. Patient perspectives were assessed using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care. In three cases, videos of the LoChro intervention showed patients describing their health needs. These data were evaluated by three doctors and public health researchers. Using framework analysis, recurring themes influencing the healthcare situation of multimorbid older patients and their inter-relationships were identified. RESULTS: Participants had an average age of 77, with 13 diagnoses, taking eight medications regularly. The five key themes describing the healthcare situation of these multimorbid patients were as follows: insufficient coordination, overuse and underuse of medical care, doctor and patient roles. Each theme covered three to four subcategories. The most significant inter-relationships between these themes were a lack of coordination leading to overuse and underuse of medical care. These were characterised by redundant inpatient stays, potential prescribing omissions and missed examinations. Deficiencies in vaccinations and secondary prevention were also demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Coordination of care for multimorbid older patients in Germany is still deficient. Future healthcare arrangements should be explored with the participation of physicians and patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: LoChro trial: DRKS00013904.