Frequency of Chronic Physical Conditions in Older Population Attending Kerman Social Security Health Care Centers

Abstract

Background and purpose: Nowadays, population of older age is increasing throughout the world and most of them suffer from chronic diseases. Many have multiple chronic diseases and require special attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of chronic diseases in older population. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, records of 610 elderly people attending Kerman Social Security health care centers were investigated. Data analysis was done in SPSS V22. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 66.98±7.58 years. The most frequent chronic diseases were hypertension, diabetes, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular disease. There were 208 (34.2%) elderly with one chronic disease and 65.8% had two or more chronic diseases. Conclusion: Chronic diseases are common in older population and comorbidity with several diseases is high which requires special attention.

Keywords

• elderly
• multiple chronic conditions
• comorbidity
• kerman