RT journal article
T1 Uncovering bridging diseases in complex multimorbidity pathways: A network science approach
A1 Álvarez Gálvez, Javier
A1 Arroyo, Javier
A2 Economía General
AB Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of multiple chronic diseases, represents a significant challenge in healthcare, necessitating advanced analytical methods for a betterunderstanding. Although numerous studies focus on characterizing chronicity profilesacross different population groups, there is still a need to identify specific diseasesthat play a crucial role in shaping multimorbidity patterns. This study applies networkscience to analyze multimorbidity structures and identify bridging diseases that facilitate the development of complex multimorbidity patterns, using data from a representative sample of 2,200 individuals aged 50 and older residing in southern Spain. Ourfindings reveal significant gender-based differences in multimorbidity patterns, withwomen experiencing a higher burden of chronic diseases, resulting in more complexand tightly linked disease networks. The analysis highlights the relevance of specificconditions, such as liver dysfunction in men and depression in women, as key contributors to the formation of complex multimorbidity structures. These findings emphasize the importance of sex/gender-specific healthcare strategies aimed at controllingand preventing diseases that may act as catalysts for multisystem multimorbidity,which have a profound impact on both mortality rates and healthcare utilization.
PB Public Library of Science
SN 1932-6203
YR 2025
FD 2025-05
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38034
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38034
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 21-sep-2026