Comorbidity

Comorbidity refers to the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders co-occurring with a primary disease or disorder. It can have significant implications for patient care, influencing treatment decisions, prognosis, and health outcomes.

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Comparison of comorbidities for bipolar affective disorder by age group

Understanding Comorbidity

Comorbidity does not imply any specific causal relationship between the diseases; rather, it describes their simultaneous occurrence. These additional conditions may exist before the primary disease, develop concurrently, or emerge during its course.

Comorbidity in Different Diseases

• The concept of comorbidity is important across all areas of medicine. For instance:
• In mental health, comorbidity often refers to the presence of more than one mental health disorder in an individual, such as depression and anxiety.
• In oncology, cancer patients may have comorbidities such as heart disease, diabetes, or chronic lung disease.
• In chronic disease management, patients with conditions like diabetes may also suffer from hypertension and hyperlipidemia, constituting comorbidities.

Implications

Comorbidity can complicate disease management and treatment. It often affects the severity and progression of the primary disease and can increase the risk of mortality. Thus, understanding and managing comorbidities is crucial in patient care.

See Also

• Multimorbidity
• Epidemiology
• Chronic disease
• Mental disorder

References

• Valderas, JM; Starfield, B; Sibbald, B; Salisbury, C; Roland, M (2009). "Defining Comorbidity: Implications for Understanding Health and Health Services". Annals of Family Medicine.
• Fortin, M; Bravo, G; Hudon, C; Vanasse, A; Lapointe, L (2005). "Prevalence of Multimorbidity Among Adults Seen in Family Practice". Annals of Family Medicine.
• Feinstein, AR (1970). "The Pre-therapeutic Classification of Co-morbidity in Chronic Disease". Journal of Chronic Diseases.

External Links

Comorbidity - World Health Organization Managing Comorbidity in General Practice - British Medical Journal Comorbidity: Implications for the Importance of Context in the Study of Aging - American Psychological Association

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