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Sex Differences in Comorbidity Combinations in the Swedish Population

Laura Basso1, Benjamin Boecking1, Patrick Neff2,3,4,5

  • 1Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

Biomolecules
|July 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Women experience higher rates of pairwise disease combinations, particularly mental-physical comorbidity, than men. This highlights the need for integrated healthcare services focusing on the individual patient.

Area of Science:

  • Medical research
  • Public health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • High rates of comorbidity, especially mental-physical conditions, increase healthcare burdens.
  • Sex differences in comorbidity patterns are not fully understood.
  • Understanding these differences is crucial for targeted healthcare interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate comorbidity patterns stratified by sex across various disease categories.
  • To compare pairwise comorbidity rates between women and men.
  • To identify specific mental-physical comorbidity associations in each sex.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of self-report data from the LifeGene cohort (31,825 Swedish adults).
  • Examination of pairwise comorbidity rates for 54 self-reported conditions.
  • Calculation of adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for sex-based comparisons.

Main Results:

  • Overall pairwise comorbidity was higher in women (14.36%) than men (9.40%).
  • Psychiatric conditions showed high comorbidity rates in both sexes (41.76% women, 39.01% men).
  • Elevated mental-physical comorbidity in women: musculoskeletal (21.43%), digestive (20.71%), skin (13.39%); in men: musculoskeletal (14.29%), neurological (11.22%), digestive (10%).

Conclusions:

  • Significant sex differences exist in comorbidity prevalence and patterns.
  • Mental-physical comorbidity is a substantial issue, particularly in women.
  • Healthcare integration and a patient-centered approach are recommended.

Keywords:
comorbiditydigestivediseaseshealthmusculoskeletalneurologicalpsychiatricsexskin

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