SynthesisBMJ open2015
Prevalence and outcomes of multimorbidity in South Asia: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 128 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
128 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Determinants of multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of longitudinal studies and discovery of evidence gaps.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2024Pooled it
- Community prevalence and dyad disease pattern of multimorbidity in China and India: a systematic review.BMJ global health · 2022Pooled it
- Multimorbidity of non-communicable diseases in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Multimorbidity in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- The association between educational level and multimorbidity among adults in Southeast Asia: A systematic review.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Pattern and severity of multimorbidity among patients attending primary care settings in Odisha, India.PloS one · 2017Trial
- Association Between Subjective Symptoms, Psychological Stress and Quality of Life Among Older Japanese Adults.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Prevalence, patterns and associated behavioural risk factors of multimorbidity in rural India: Cross-sectional analysis from the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS).PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Assessment of oral morbidity and self rated health in the Indian geriatric population with a propensity score matched approach.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Sex and age-specific multimorbidity profiles among working-age inpatients in China: a comparative network analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Multimorbidity in dementia: Current perspectives and future challenges.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Review
- Investigation of multimorbidity patterns and association rules in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using association rules mining algorithm.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Integrating VAI-Assisted Quantified CXRs and Multimodal Data to Assess the Risk of Mortality.Journal of imaging informatics in medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Gender differences in the association between elder abuse and pain with depression among older adults in India: insights from a cross-sectional survey.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Article
- Barriers to Home-Based Medication Self-Management Among Older Adults with Multimorbidity: A Qualitative Study Guided by Empowerment Theory.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Determinants of Multimorbidity in a Low-Resource Setting: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh.Global health, epidemiology and genomics · 2025Article
68 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo systematically review the studies of prevalence, patterns and consequences of multimorbidity reported from South Asia.
designSystematic review.
settingSouth Asia. DATA SOURCES: Articles were retrieved from two electronic databases (PubMed and Embase) and from the relevant references lists. Methodical data extraction according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed. English-language studies published between 2000 and March 2015 were included. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies addressing prevalence, consequences and patterns of multimorbidity in South Asia. Articles documenting presence of two or more chronic conditions were included in the review. The quality and risk of bias were assessed using STROBE criteria. DATA SELECTION: Two reviewers independently assessed studies for eligibility, extracted data and assessed study quality. Due to heterogeneity in methodologies among reported studies, only narrative synthesis of the results was carried out.
resultsOf 11,132, 61 abstracts were selected and 13 were included for final data synthesis. The number of health conditions analysed per study varied from 7 to 22, with prevalence of multimorbidity from 4.5% to 83%. The leading chronic conditions were hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, cardiac problems and skin diseases. The most frequently reported outcomes were increased healthcare utilisation, lowered physical functioning and quality of life, and psychological distress.
conclusionsOur study, a comprehensive mapping of multimorbidity research in South Asia, reveals the insufficient volume of work carried out in this domain. The published studies are inadequate to provide an indication of the magnitude of multimorbidity in these countries. Research into clinical and epidemiological aspects of multimorbidity is warranted to build up scientific evidence in this geographic region. The wide heterogeneity observed in the present review calls for greater methodological rigour while conducting these epidemiological studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42013005456.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.