Observational studyBMJ open2023
Estimate of the prevalence of subjects with chronic diseases in a province of Northern Italy: a retrospective study based on administrative databases.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mapping Steroidogenic Perturbations Under Endocrine Disruptor Mixtures Across Demographic Subgroups: Structural and Metabolomic Insights.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Mental health in adults aged 50+ since the COVID-19 pandemic: Are we (all) back to 'normal'? evidence from England.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2026Article
- Mind the Gap Between Estimated Needs and Current Resources in Chronic Kidney Disease.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Social and Demographic Determinants of Health: A Descriptive Study on the Impact of Place of Residence and Community Belonging.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Editorial for the Special Issue "The Role of Dietary Bioactive Compounds in Human Health" inMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- The role of dietitians and physiotherapists in the prevention of non-communicable diseases in Italian communities: lessons from orthopaedic care to strengthen community initiatives.Frontiers in health services · 2025Article
- Assessing community health needs in Jeddah Second Health Cluster: A qualitative descriptive study.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- Effect of a nursing intervention based on nutritional support on biochemical parameters and quality of life in patients with hyperthyroidism combined with diabetes mellitus.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- A study protocol for identifying aging trajectories toward chronic neurodegenerative diseases by means of Marche regional administrative databases - TREND project.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo find a definition of chronic disease based on literature review and to estimate the population-based prevalence rate of chronicity in a province in Northern Italy.
designRetrospective observational study based on administrative databases. DATA SOURCES/
settingArchives of the National Health Service that contain demographic and administrative information linked with the archives of ticket exemptions (2000-2019), the hospital discharge and drug prescriptions (2016-2019).
participantsSubjects who lived in Vercelli Local Health Authority, a Northern Italian province (Piedmont region), and were alive in December 2019.
main outcome measuresPrevalence of subjects with at least one chronic disease identified by administrative sources and stratification of population according to the number of comorbidities. The pathologies considered were: chronic ischaemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke, neoplasm, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, dementia, autism spectrum disorder, depression, schizophrenia, hepatitis, HIV and substance use disorders.
resultsOur target population was about 164 344 subjects. The overall prevalence of subjects with at least one chronic condition was 21.43% (n=35 212): 19 541 were female and 15 671 were male with a raw prevalence of 22.96% and 19.77%, respectively. The overall prevalence increases with age until 85 years old, then a decrease is observed. Moreover, 16.39% had only one pathology, 4.30% two diseases and 0.74% had a more complex clinical condition (more than three diseases).
conclusionsDespite the difficulty of having a unique definition of chronic disease, the prevalence obtained was coherent with the estimates reported by other national surveillance systems such as Passi and Passi d'Argento. Underestimates were observed when international comparisons were done; however, when we used less stringent definitions of chronic diseases, similar results were obtained.
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