BMC geriatrics
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Multimorbidity patterns of and use of health services by Swedish 85-year-olds: an exploratory study.
As life expectancy continues to rise, more elderly are reaching advanced ages (≥80 years). The increasing prevalence of multimorbidity places additional demands on health-care resources for the elderly. Previous studies noted the impact of multimorbidity on the use of health services, but the effects of multimorbidity patterns on health-service use have not been well studied, especially for very old people. This study determines patterns of multimorbidity associated with emergency-room visits and hospitalization in an 85-year-old population. ⋯ In this 85-year-old population, patterns of cardiac and pulmonary conditions were better than a single morbidity in explaining hospitalization. Heart failure was superior to multimorbidity patterns in explaining emergency-room visits. A holistic approach to examining the patterns of multimorbidity and their relationships with the use of health services will contribute to both local health care policy and geriatric practice.