To analyze the disease composition and characteristics among elderly patients with multimorbidity in Jing′an district of Shanghai.

A total of 68 147 patients aged 60 and above in Shanghai Jing′an district were selected in the study by stratified random sampling method, The clinical data of patients from January 2017 to December 2018 were obtained from hospital information system, the status of multimorbidity, the disease composition and characteristics were analyzed with SPSS software.

Among 68 147 elderly patients, 43 953 had 2 or more chronic diseases. The top five chronic diseases were hypertension, chronic ischemic heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cerebrovascular disease. There was significant difference in prevalence of multimorbidity between male and female patients (χ²=15.276, P<0.01); compared to males, females had higher prevalence of multimorbidity (OR=1.152, P<0.01). There was significant difference in prevalence of multimorbidity among different age groups of patients (χ²= 48.547, P<0.01); compared to age group 60-69, patients age 70-79 (OR = 1.629, P<0.01) and aged 80 and above (OR=2.686, P<0.01) had higher prevalence of multimorbidity. When 4 chronic diseases coexist, male urinary system diseases and female joint diseases rank in the top five comorbid diseases, while when 5 chronic diseases coexist, female sleep disorders rank in the top five positions. For patients aged ≥80 years, when 5 chronic diseases coexist, diabetes mellitus is no longer among in the top five comorbid diseases.

The elderly women and older-aged patients have higher prevalence of multiomorbidity. Hypertension is still the top priority of chronic disease prevention and control for the elderly in the community. It is suggested to establish the precise prevention and control mechanism for the aging chronic disease.

Aged; Chronic disease; Multimorbidity