Research and Aims

Information about multimorbidity in the U.S. is mostly based on cross-sectional data, which is a major limitation given the dynamic nature of multimorbidity. To develop clinical practice guidelines and interventions, it is necessary to understand the progression of multimorbidity, the timing of its onset across the lifecourse, and differences in progression and timing across population groups. We must identify the critical ages and timing for preventing progression to multimorbidity, and whether any “sentinel” first conditions and clusters are most likely to be followed by others. Even the few longitudinal studies on the topic have not examined progression to multimorbidity, as they have only used cohorts of older adults, enrolling at ages when many people have already experienced the onset of multiple conditions.

 

Addressing these priorities is the overarching goal of the proposed work, and will be accomplished by combining 7 premier national cohort studies of adult health to create a synthetic nationally representative cohort of adults starting at age 30 years, compiling over 1.7 million person-years of follow-up and capturing information over time about the onset of priority chronic conditions: hypertension, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, obesity, cancers, asthma, lung disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, depression, and dementia.