The Common Patterns of Multimorbidity and Its Impact on Healthcare Cost in Korea

Patterns of Multimorbidity in Adults: An Association Rules Analysis Using the Korea Health Panel

“…PH, DM, and cataract had a high degree of centrality in men aged over 65, and polyarthritis, osteoporosis, and cataract had a high degree of centrality in women aged over 65. These results were similar to those of previous studies, in which the most common multimorbidity was DM in men, musculoskeletal diseases in women, and gastritis, allergic diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases in the population aged under 45, hypertension and diabetes in those over the age of 45 [13]. In this study, instead of analyzing gender and age separately, considering the gender and age together, it was confirmed that the characteristics of the multimorbidity to be considered in each group are different.…”

“…The results also showed that the most common multimorbidity diseases in the population under the age of 45 were gastritis, allergic diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases; however, hypertension, and diabetes were the most prevalence multimorbidity diseases in subjects over the age of 45. Another study based on the Korean Health Panel Survey [13] has shown similar results. The prevalence of multimorbidity in the adult population over the age of 20 was 39.6%, whereas the prevalence of multimorbidity in the population over the age of 65 was 66.7%.…”

“…A meta-analysis of research based on 70 community-based studies demonstrated that the overall pooled prevalence of multimorbidity was 33.1% [12]. The burden of medical expenses is growing with the increase in the prevalence of multimorbidity due to the rise in the aging population [13].…”

“…In addition, varying definitions of multimorbidity [15] and the classification system of non-communicable disease [18] makes it difficult to compare study results. Medical expenses due to multimorbidity also influence the medical delivery system and the payment system for medical expenses [13].…”

The Effect of Usual Source of Care on the Association of Annual Healthcare Expenditure with Patients’ Age and Chronic Disease Duration

“…For this reason, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) in the United States also complied the OASH list of 20 chronic diseases [ 5 ]. According to a study, which applied the OASH list in South Korea, prevalence of chronic disease was highest in the order of hypertension (16.6%), arthritis (14.4%), diabetes (6.4%) and hyperlipidemia (6.1%); additionally, a higher percentage of out-of-pocket (OOP) costs were covered for these diseases [ 6 ]. Since chronic diseases are more likely to involve long-term and sustained medical expenses, there is a greater need to reduce their incidence through preventive management rather than focusing on their treatment.…”