• Sergio A Alfonso Silguero, Marta Martínez-Reig, Llanos Gómez Arnedo, Gema Juncos Martínez, Luis Romero Rizos, and Pedro Abizanda Soler.
• Servicio de Geriatría, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, Albacete, España.
• Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol. 2014 Mar 1; 49 (2): 51-8.

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to analyse the relationships between the major chronic diseases and multiple morbidity, with mortality, incident disability in basic activities of daily living, and loss of mobility in the elderly.Material And MethodsA total of 943 participants were selected from the FRADEA Study, using available baseline data of chronic diseases, and at the follow-up visit of mortality, incident disability, and loss of mobility. The analysis was made of the unadjusted and adjusted association between the number of chronic diseases, the number of 14 pre-selected diseases, and the presence of two or more chronic diseases (multiple morbidity) with adverse health events recorded.ResultsParticipants with a higher number of diseases (OR 1.11; 95% CI: 1.02-1.22), and 14 pre-selected diseases (OR 1.19; 95% CI: 1.03-1.38) had a higher adjusted mortality risk, but not a higher incident disease or mobility loss risk. Subjects with multiple morbidity had a higher non-significant mortality risk (HR 1.45; 95% CI: 0.87-2.43), than those without multiple morbidity. Disability-free mean time in participants with and without multiple morbidity was 846±34 and 731±17 days, respectively (Log-rank χ(2) 7.45. P=.006), and with our without mobility loss was 818±32 and 696±13 days, respectively (Log rank χ(2) 10.99. P=.001).ConclusionsMultiple morbidity was not associated with mortality, incident disability in ADL, or mobility loss in adults older than 70 years, although if mortality is taken into account, the number of chronic diseases is linear.Copyright © 2013 SEGG. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

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