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Rapidly developing multimorbidity and disability in older adults: does social background matter?
A Calderón-Larrañaga1, G Santoni1, H X Wang1,2
1Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet-Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Rapidly developing multimorbidity significantly increases disability risk in older adults. Factors like female sex and social networks may offer protective benefits against functional decline despite disease accumulation.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Multimorbidity is a leading cause of disability in older adults.
- The rate of chronic disease accumulation may exacerbate functional decline.
- Sociodemographic factors' influence on this process requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the speed of multimorbidity development impacts functional independence in older adults.
- To explore the role of sociodemographic factors in mitigating the effects of rapid multimorbidity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a 6-year follow-up of 2387 older adults (≥60 years) from the SNAC-K study.
- Estimation of multimorbidity development speed using linear mixed models and dichotomization.
- Application of binomial negative mixed models to assess disability risk and sociodemographic influences.
Main Results:
- Faster multimorbidity development was associated with a significantly higher risk of new activity impairment (IRR 2.4).
- Female sex (IRR 1.6) and poor social networks (IRR 1.7) were linked to increased disability risk.
- These sociodemographic factors influenced disability beyond the rate of chronic disease accumulation.
Conclusions:
- Rapidly developing multimorbidity is a significant predictor of functional disability in the elderly.
- Sex and social network characteristics can modulate functional reserves, potentially enabling independence despite disease progression.
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