Nationwide study on multimorbidity prevalence: 7.64 million primary healthcare users in Portugal with multiple chronic conditions.

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of multimorbidity, its geographic variation, and changes from 2022 to 2024 in Portugal.

Study design: Information regarding the chronic health conditions active in the primary healthcare patients' health problems lists on the electronic health records are derived from the digital platform Identity Card of Primary Healthcare (Bilhete de Identidade dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários, BI CSP) data for the period of 2022 and 2024.

Methods: BI CSP nationwide data from May 2024 of the 10,366,861 registered users in Portuguese primary healthcare were used to determine the prevalence of multimorbidity (presence of 2 or more chronic health conditions) and analize differences to 2022.

Results: By May 2024, 73.7 % of the population (7.64 million out of 10.37 million registered users in primary healthcare) were living with multimorbidity, indicating a 4.7 % increase from 2022. The most common chronic conditions in 2024 included lipid disorders, hypertension, obesity, and tobacco abuse. Regionally, multimorbidity exceeded 65 % in all zones, with the North (78.9 %) and Alentejo (78.3 %) regions having the highest rates. The prevalence increased across all regions, with the North region showing the smallest increase from 2022 to 2024.

Conclusions: The prevalence of multimorbidity in Portugal is increasingly high across all the regions considered. Additional studies will be helpful in determining the extent to which the now-reported high prevalence of multimorbidity will impact the healthcare system in Portugal.