Generality
"Comorbidity" is a term used in the medical field to indicate the simultaneous presence of several different pathologies in the same individual.
More precisely, comorbidity can refer to:
- Two or more pathologies that coexist simultaneously in a patient, but are independent of each other;
- Diseases or disorders that appear secondary to the onset of an underlying disease.
In psychiatry, the concept of comorbidity may not necessarily refer to two distinct diseases, but also to the simultaneous presence of multiple diagnoses in the same patient.
Clearly, the coexistence of different pathologies in the same person results in a series of interactions that condition the course, the therapeutic regimen and the prognosis of the main and simultaneous illnesses.
In the medical-scientific field, the term "comorbidity" is often used as a synonym for comorbidity, to indicate the phenomenon of the "coexistence of pathologies" or "concomitant disease".
What does it mean?
Comorbidity is defined as the coexistence of two or more physical or mental disorders or illnesses in the same individual.
Disorders occur simultaneously or sequentially, independently of the primary disease or as a related medical condition. This last sense of the term can cause confusion, when compared to the concept of "complication." For example, if we consider coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus can manifest itself as an autonomous comorbidity or as a complication with respect to the primary disease; this discrimination does not it is immediate and simple, as both diseases are multifactorial and there are probable aspects of both simultaneity and consequent.The same is true for illnesses occurring during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.
In other cases, then, the independence or the relationship is not demonstrable, as the syndromes and associations have pathogenetic factors in common.
In the psychiatric field, comorbidity does not necessarily indicate two distinct diseases, but also the possibility of multiple diagnoses in the same patient (eg major depression, social phobia and anxiety disorder).
Comorbidity implies the overlap and reciprocal influence of the morbid states in question.
The appearance in a person suffering from a (generally chronic) pathology of one "other or more diseases, not directly caused by the first one, conditions the therapy, the patient's quality of life, the duration of a possible hospitalization, the course and the prognosis of the main disease and of secondary or contemporary disorders.
For these reasons, comorbidity is associated with worse health outcomes, more complex clinical management, and increased health care costs.
Because it is important?
Comorbidity must be taken into consideration for its implications relating to the etiology, prevention and treatment of health problems in the same patient.
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