title: [Increased multimorbidity in patients in general practice in the period 2003-2009].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of chronic multimorbidity and its increase in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive longitudinal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected patients suffering from chronic pulmonary disease, chronic cardiovascular disease, or diabetes from a national representative general practice research database (LINH). For each year in the period 2003-2009, we calculated the prevalence of these separate conditions. We subsequently assessed the prevalence of multimorbidity and its increase for 4 different age groups (0-14, 15-44, 45-64, ≥ 65 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of all patients suffering from at least 1 of these chronic conditions increased from 12.6% in 2003 to 15.0% in 2009, an increase of almost 20%. The multimorbidity among these patients rose from 15.9% in 2003 to 18.3% in 2009. This increase in multimorbidity was found in all 3 chronic conditions under study and in all adult age groups. To what extent this increase was caused by improvements in morbidity registration could not be identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There appears to be a considerable increase in recent years in the prevalence of chronic diseases; multimorbidity appears also to have increased. If this trend continues, in 2015 the multimorbidity among patients over 65 years of age with diabetes, chronic pulmonary and/or cardiovascular disease will be more than 30%.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Medisch Centrum St Radboud, Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare (IQ healthcare), Nijmegen, the Netherlands. m.tacken@iq.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Margot A J B
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tacken
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Opstelten
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vossen
authors.forename: Ivo J M
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Smeele
authors.forename: Hilly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Calsbeek
authors.forename: J E Annelies
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Jozé C C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Braspenning
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity / Q000639:trends; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult