Exploring disease interrelationships in older inpatients: a single-centre, retrospective study

Abstract

BackgroundComorbidity is a common phenomenon in the older population; it causes a heavy burden on societies and individuals. However, the relevant evidence, especially in the southwestern region of China, is insufficient.ObjectivesWe aimed to examine current comorbidity characteristics as well as correlations among diseases in individuals aged >60 years.DesignRetrospective study.MethodsWe included records of 2,995 inpatients treated at the Gerontological Department of Sichuan Geriatric Hospital from January 2018 to February 2022. The patients were divided into groups according to sex and age. Diseases were categorised based on the International Classification of Diseases and their Chinese names. We calculated the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI), categorised diseases using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study questionnaire, and visualised comorbidity using web graphs and the Apriori algorithm.ResultsThe ACCI was generally high, and it increased with age. There were significant differences in the frequency of all diseases across age groups, especially in individuals aged ≥90 years. The most common comorbid diseases were liver diseases, stomach or other digestive diseases, and hypertension. Strong correlations between the most common digestive diseases and hypertension were observed.ConclusionOur findings provide insights into the current situation regarding comorbidity and the correlations among diseases in the older population. We expect our findings to inform future research directions as well as policies regarding general clinical practice and public health, especially for medical consortiums.

The regional disparities in liver disease comorbidity among elderly Chinese based on a health ecological model: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

“…In this study, we assigned “liver disease comorbidity = 1, non-liver disease comorbidity = 0”. Assessment of chronic disease Chronic disease were determined based on self-reported responses to specific questionnaires in the CHARLS 2018, “have you been diagnosed with [conditions listed below] by a doctor?”, and the participants were asked each of the following 14 categories of chronic diseases: hypertension; dyslipidemia (elevation of low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, or a low high-density lipoprotein level); diabetes or high blood sugar; cancer or malignant tumor (excluding minor skin cancers); chronic lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, excluding tumors or cancers); liver disease (except fatty liver, tumors, and cancer); heart attack (including coronary heart disease, angina, congestive heart failure, or other heart problems); stroke; kidney disease (except for tumor or cancer); stomach or other digestive diseases (except for tumor or cancer); emotional, nervous, or psychiatric problems; memory-related disease (such as dementia, brain atrophy, and Parkinson’s disease); arthritis or rheumatism and asthma [ 29 ]. A total of 14 common chronic diseases and coded based on the Internal Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) is shown in supplementary file 2 (Table.…”