Prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among adults and older adults: a systematic review

Kathryn Nicholson; Winnie Liu; Daire Fitzpatrick; Kate Anne Hardacre; Sarah Roberts; Jennifer Salerno; Saverio Stranges; Martin Fortin; Dee Mangin

doi:10.1016/S2666-7568(24)00007-2

Prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among adults and older adults: a systematic review

Lancet Healthy Longev. 2024 Apr;5(4):e287-e296. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(24)00007-2. Epub 2024 Mar 4.

Authors

Kathryn Nicholson¹, Winnie Liu², Daire Fitzpatrick³, Kate Anne Hardacre⁴, Sarah Roberts⁵, Jennifer Salerno⁶, Saverio Stranges⁷, Martin Fortin⁸, Dee Mangin⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
³ Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Family Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
⁴ Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
⁵ Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁶ Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Family Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
⁸ Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
⁹ Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of General Practice, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.

PMID: 38452787
DOI: 10.1016/S2666-7568(24)00007-2

Abstract

Multimorbidity (multiple conditions) and polypharmacy (multiple medications) are increasingly common, yet there is a need to better understand the prevalence of co-occurrence. In this systematic review, we examined the prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy among adults (≥18 years) and older adults (≥65 years) in clinical and community settings. Six electronic databases were searched, and 87 studies were retained after two levels of screening. Most studies focused on adults 65 years and older and were done in population-based community settings. Although the operational definitions of multimorbidity and polypharmacy varied across studies, consistent cut-points (two or more conditions and five or more medications) were used across most studies. In older adult samples, the prevalence of multimorbidity ranged from 4·8% to 93·1%, while the prevalence of polypharmacy ranged from 2·6% to 86·6%. High heterogeneity between studies indicates the need for more consistent reporting of specific lists of conditions and medications used in operational definitions.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Humans
Multimorbidity*
Polypharmacy*
Prevalence