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Impact of Chronic Disease
What is co-morbidity? Having more than one disease.
Many patients have more than one chronic disease. This is called co-morbidity. Co-morbidity is fairly common in older or very sick patients. This chart shows that 24% of Americans have one chronic disease. Another 21% have a co-morbidity (more than one chronic disease).
Source: Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care
Why are co-morbidities important?
It is important to know about co-morbidity because having more than one chronic disease can:
- Affect treatment decisions. For example, having both cancer and heart disease can change what therapy a person can get. Some types of chemotherapy may be dangerous for the heart.
- Make it difficult to comply with treatment. Each disease has some physical, financial, and emotional burden. Having more than one disease at a time may make it difficult for a patient to follow recommendations for treatment and self-care.
- Cause other conditions to appear or worsen. For example, diabetes that is not managed well can lead to heart disease, amputations or blindness.
What do you know about co-morbidities in Americans over age 65?
What percentage of adults over age 65 have two or more chronic conditions?
45
%
84
%
Source: Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care
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Let’s see how co-morbidities affects older patients. >>>
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