ArticlePloS one2019
Trends in multimorbidity and polypharmacy in the Flemish-Belgian population between 2000 and 2015.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Relationship of Continuity of Care, Polypharmacy and Medication Appropriateness: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Drugs & aging · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Prevalence and trends of multimorbidity clusters in Belgian assisted dying practice: a health registry study.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Redeemed prescription medicines to measure quality of life of patients with long-term conditions: a national cross-sectional study.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Enhancing a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of multimorbidity in older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Multimorbidity and the indirect cost of productivity loss from health-related work absenteeism in Belgium.European journal of public health · 2025Observational
- Observational
- Article
- Anticholinergic Burden and Dry Mouth Problems Among Older Adults (≥ 50 Years) Receiving Dental Care-A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Analysis.Clinical and experimental dental research · 2024Article
- Article
- Multimorbidity healthcare expenditure in Belgium: a 4-year analysis (COMORB study).Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Understanding the Extent of Polypharmacy and its Association With Health Service Utilization Among Persons With Cancer and Multimorbidity: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study in Ontario, Canada.Journal of pharmacy practice · 2024Article
- Chronic disease and multimorbidity in the Chinese older adults' population and their impact on daily living ability: a cross-sectional study of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS).Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Medication Literacy and Medication Self-Management: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hospitalised Patients (65+) With Polypharmacy.Journal of nursing management · 2024Article
- STOPP/START version 3: overhauled resources to support older people. What will we do next?European geriatric medicine · 2023Article
- Frequency and impact of medication reviews for people aged 65 years or above in UK primary care: an observational study using electronic health records.BMC geriatrics · 2023Observational
- Cardiovascular and renal multimorbidity increase risk of atrial fibrillation in the PREVEND cohort.Open heart · 2023Article
- The Development of Recommendations for Healthcare Providers to Support Patients Experiencing Medication Self-Management Problems.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- People-centered care and patients' beliefs about medicines and adherence: A cross-sectional study.Heliyon · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe aim of this paper was to describe the time trends in the prevalence of multimorbidity and polypharmacy in Flanders (Belgium) between 2000 and 2015, while controlling for age and sex.
methodsData were available from Intego, a Flemish-Belgian general practice-based morbidity registration network. The practice population between 2000 and 2015 was used as the denominator, representing a mean of 159,946 people per year. Age and gender-standardised prevalence rates were used for the trends of multimorbidity and polypharmacy in the total population and for subgroups. Joinpoint regression analyses were used to analyse the time trends and breaks in trends, for the entire population as well as for specific age and sex groups.
resultsOverall, in 2015, 22.7% of the population had multimorbidity, while the overall prevalence of polypharmacy was 20%. Throughout the study period the standardised prevalence rate of multimorbidity rose for both sexes and in all age groups. The largest relative increase in multimorbidity was observed in the younger age groups (up to the age of 50 years). The prevalence of polypharmacy showed a significant increase between 2000 and 2015 for all age groups except the youngest (0-25 years).
conclusionFor all adult age groups multimorbidity and polypharmacy are frequent, dynamic over time and increasing. This asks for both epidemiological and interventional studies to improve the management of the resulting complex care.
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