Multimorbidity in the elderly in China based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 8; p. e0255908
• Main Authors: Guo, Xiaorong, Zhao, Benhua, Chen, Tianmu, Hao, Bin, Yang, Tao, Xu, Huimin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 05.08.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; China - epidemiology; Chronic Disease - epidemiology; Chronic diseases; Comorbidity; Computer and Information Sciences; Demographic aspects; Earth Sciences; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Multimorbidity; People and Places; Prevalence; Retirement - statistics & numerical data; Statistics; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255908

This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution and patterns of multimorbidity among the elderly in China. Data on the occurrence of 14 chronic diseases were collected for 9710 elderly participants in the 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Web graph, Apriori algorithm, age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (AAC), and Spatial autocorrelation were used to perform the multimorbidity analysis. The multimorbidity prevalence rate was estimated as 49.64% in the elderly in China. Three major multimorbidity patterns were identified: [Asthma/Chronic lungs diseases]: (Support (S) = 6.17%, Confidence (C) = 63.77%, Lift (L) = 5.15); [Asthma, Arthritis, or rheumatism/ Chronic lungs diseases]: (S = 3.12%, C = 64.03%, L = 5.17); [Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, Arthritis or rheumatism/Heart attack]: (S = 3.96%, C = 51.56, L = 2.69). Results of the AAC analysis showed that the more chronic diseases an elderly has, the lower is the 10-year survival rate ( P < 0.001). Global spatial autocorrelation showed a positive spatial correlation distribution for the prevalence of the third multimorbidity pattern in China ( P = 0.032). The status of chronic diseases and multimorbidity among the elderly with a spatial correlation is a significant health issue in China.