Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Multiple Chronic Diseases

Multiple chronic conditions, also termed multimorbidity, refers to the co-occurrence of two or more long-term medical disorders in the same individual. Chronic conditions are persistent illnesses that generally cannot be cured but can be controlled, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, chronic…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 47× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2474-7785 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Multiple chronic conditions, also termed multimorbidity, refers to the co-occurrence of two or more long-term medical disorders in the same individual. Chronic conditions are persistent illnesses that generally cannot be cured but can be controlled, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, chronic respiratory disease, and the age-related decline in muscle and skeletal integrity. Their accumulation is strongly associated with advancing age and with frailty, and it complicates clinical management because treatments for one disorder may interact with another, polypharmacy increases, and care must be coordinated across multiple providers. Research in this area examines shared risk factors and mechanisms, the interplay between musculoskeletal disease, mood, and physical function, and the contribution of nutrition, vitamin status, and physical activity to the course of coexisting illnesses. The presence of several conditions raises the burden of disability, reduces quality of life, and increases health service utilization, making self-management support and health literacy particularly important. Investigators also consider how acute events, such as respiratory infection, interact with pre-existing chronic disease in older adults. A central aim of the field is to shift care from a single-disease focus toward integrated, patient-centered strategies that address the combined effects of concurrent conditions across the life course.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

2018

Health Literacy and Osteoarthritis Self-Management

Marks RayCorresponding author
Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Program in Health Education, Columbia University, Teachers College, and School of Health and Professional Studies, Department of Health, Physical Education & Gerontological Studies and Services, City Univers
Aging Research And Healthcare Cited by 21 doi:10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-18-2295

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 47 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Multiple Chronic Diseases, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Aging Research And Healthcare (ISSN 2474-7785).

Journal editorial board
Anna Aiello · Italy Juan Manuel Carmona Torres · Spain IAN JAMES MARTINS · Australia

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.