ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2016
Identifying Patterns of Multimorbidity in Older Americans: Application of Latent Class Analysis.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 79 papers, 5 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
79 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 153 citations in OpenAlex.
- Variations in multimorbidity measurement in studies evaluating hospitalisation in older adults: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Mapping Healthcare Needs: A Systematic Review of Population Stratification Tools.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Social determinants of multimorbidity patterns: A systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Do replicable profiles of multimorbidity exist? Systematic review and synthesis.European journal of epidemiology · 2019Pooled it
- An integrated model of multimorbidity and symptom science.Nursing outlookPooled it
- High Symptom Burden and Low Functional Status in the Setting of Multimorbidity.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2017 · on this mapTrial
- Patterns of multimorbidity and in-hospital kidney function decline in older adults: a latent class analysis of three acute-care cohorts.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Latent class analysis of oral frailty among community-dwelling older adults: functional profiles and associated factors.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Examining Multimorbidity in Older Adults Living in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, in Ontario, Canada, Using Latent Class Analysis.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Real-world medical and long-term care service utilization patterns among older adults with complex needs in China: a latent class analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Impact of multimorbidity on change in quality of life in a multi-ethnic Asian population: a longitudinal study.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2026Article
- Longitudinal pattern of multimorbidity in older adult population: latent transition analysis in 34 countries.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Oral Multimorbidity Patterns and Determinants Among Chinese Older Adults: A Latent Class Analysis.Clinical interventions in aging · 2026Article
- Predictors and Consequences of Poor Health Trajectories Among US Adults Ages 50-64: A Latent Class Growth Analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Middle-age healthcare spending and utilization at the intersection of comorbidities, functional limitation, and race/ethnicity.Innovation in aging · 2026Article
- Latent multimorbidity classes and antithrombotic medication distributions among patients hospitalized for bleeding after dental surgery: a retrospective study.Frontiers in systems biology · 2026Article
- Multimorbidity and risk of atrial fibrillation in the Lifelines cohort.European heart journal open · 2025Article
- Longitudinal Trajectories of Multimorbidity and Psychosocial Resilience Resources in Midlife and Older Adults: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study.Journal of aging and health · 2025Article
- Multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy in cognitively unimpaired older adults are associated with subsequent cognitive decline: results from the national alzheimer's coordinating center data.Archives of gerontology and geriatrics · 2025Article
- Electronic device usage pattern is associated with sleep disturbances in adolescents: a latent class analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
19 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 at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo define multimorbidity "classes" empirically based on patterns of disease co-occurrence in older Americans and to examine how class membership predicts healthcare use.
designRetrospective cohort study.
settingNationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries in file years 1999-2007.
participantsIndividuals aged 65 and older in the Medicare Beneficiary Survey who had data available for at least 1 year after index interview (N = 14,052). MEASUREMENTS: Surveys (self-report) were used to assess chronic conditions, and latent class analysis (LCA) was used to define multimorbidity classes based on the presence or absence of 13 conditions. All participants were assigned to a best-fit class. Primary outcomes were hospitalizations and emergency department visits over 1 year.
resultsThe primary LCA identified six classes. The largest portion of participants (32.7%) was assigned to the minimal disease class, in which most persons had fewer than two of the conditions. The other five classes represented various degrees and patterns of multimorbidity. Usage rates were higher in classes with greater morbidity, but many individuals could not be assigned to a particular class with confidence (sample misclassification error estimate = 0.36). Number of conditions predicted outcomes at least as well as class membership.
conclusionAlthough recognition of general patterns of disease co-occurrence is useful for policy planning, the heterogeneity of persons with significant multimorbidity (≥3 conditions) defies neat classification. A simple count of conditions may be preferable for predicting usage.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.