The prevalence of multi-morbidity in Cyprus; A cross-sectional study

Maria Kyprianidou

Abstract

Introduction: Multi-morbidity is defined as the co-existence of two or more chronic conditions. As the average life expectancy is increasing worldwide so does the prevalence of multi-morbidity. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of multi-morbidity in the general adult population of Cyprus as well as to identify the most common diseases and its combinations. Methods: The referent population was the general adult population of Cyprus. A representative sample of n=1143 individuals, 18-94 years old was surveyed during 2018-2019. Demographic characteristics, chronic clinical and mental conditions were collected through a validated questionnaire. Chronic conditions were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11). Results: We estimated that 25.81% of the participants had multi-morbidity, and the rates increased according to age (p for trend <0.001); the highest prevalence was among people aged 65+, i.e., 68.89%. The prevalence of multi-morbidity was higher in females than males (28.19% vs. 22.78%, p=0.039) and similarly among residents of urban vs. rural regions (26.53% vs. 23.79%, p=0.371). The most prevalent chronic diseases were hypercholesteremia (17.90%), followed by hypertension (13.27%), thyroid diseases (8.80%) and gastric reflux (7.83%), while the most common combinations were diseases of circulatory (63.5%) and endocrine system (67.7%). Conclusion: The significant proportion of Cypriots who has multi-morbidity, even from the younger ages, underlines the emerge need of prevention strategies and relevant programs for the entire population. Biography: Maria Kyprianidou is a PhD candidate in Public Health in the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Technical University of Cyprus. She has studied Mathematics at University of Patras and took her MSc in Biostatistics from the University of Athens. She has been involved in several epidemiologic surveys about the short term effects of atmospheric pollution on pediatric admissions in Arkansas (USA), the associations between physical activity, TV watching and tobacco use among Cypriot adolescents. Speaker Publications: 1. Academy of Medical Sciences. Multimorbidity: a priority for global health research. 2018. 2. Ryan, A, Wallace, E, O’Hara, P, et al. Multimorbidity and functional decline in community-dwelling adults: a systematic review. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2015; 13: 168. 3. StataCorp. Stata statistical software: release 15. College Station: StataCorp LLC, 2017. 4. Loprinzi, PD. Sedentary behavior and medical multimorbidity. Physiol Behav 2015; 151: 395–397. 5. Alaba, O, Chola, L. The social determinants of multimorbidity in South Africa. Int J Equity Health 2013; 12: 63. 5th World Congress on Public Health and Nutrition; London, UK- February 24-25, 2020. Abstract Citation: Maria Kyprianidou, The prevalence of multi-morbidity in Cyprus; A cross-sectional study, Public Health 2020, 5th World Congress on Public Health and Nutrition; London, UK- February 24-25, 2020 (https://publichealth.healthconferences.org/abstract/2020/the-prevalence-of-multi-morbidity-in-cyprus-a-cross-sectional-study)