Multimorbidity gender patterns in hospitalized elderly patients

Patients with multimorbidity and complex health care needs are usually vulnerable elders with several concomitant advanced chronic diseases. Our research aim was to evaluate differences in patterns of multimorbidity by gender in this population and their possible prognostic implications, measured as in-hospital mortality, 1-month readmissions, and 1-year mortality. We focused on a cohort of elderly patients with well-established multimorbidity criteria admitted to a specific unit for chronic complex-care patients. Multimorbidity criteria, the Charlson, PROFUND and Barthel indexes, and the Pfeiffer test were collected prospectively during their stays. A total of 843 patients (49.2% men) were included, with a median age of 84 [interquartile range (IQR) 79–89] years. The women were older, with greater functional dependence [Barthel index: 40 (IQR:10–65) vs. 60 (IQR: 25–90)], showed more cognitive deterioration [Pfeiffer test: 5 (IQR:1–9) vs. 1 (0–6)], and had worse scores on the PROFUND index [15 (IQR:9–18) vs. 11.5 (IQR: 6–15)], all p