The Influencing Factors and Management Strategies of Multimorbidity Based on Syndemic Theory

Abstract

Multimorbidity increases the burden of disease and treatment for patients, which is becoming an essential research issue in the field of public health and primary care. As medical research advances, the understanding of how to deal with the challenge of multimorbidity is undergoing a profound shift, the most significant of which is the focus on the potential influence of social and environmental factors on disease clustering and development. Syndemic theory provides a new perspective for exploring the clustering of multiple conditions, as well as their interaction with social and environmental factors, which is of great significance for analyzing the interaction of chronic comorbidities at the social and environmental levels, and contributing to improve health outcomes of vulnerable populations. However, there is a lack of introduction and research on this theory in China. This article mainly reviews the basic concepts and viewpoints of the syndemic theory, as well as the classical models proposed by foreign scholars, analyzes the common disease synergistic factors with previous research findings, and puts forwards suggestions and countermeasures for general practitioners in China to improve the quality of managing multimorbidity.

Keywords

• multimorbidity|syndemic theory|influencing factors|management strategy