Data from: Prevalence and outcomes of multimorbidity in South Asia: a systematic review

Objective: To systematically review the studies of prevalence, patterns and consequences of multimorbidity reported from South Asia. Design: Systematic review. Setting: South Asia. Data sources: Articles were retrieved from two electronic databases (PubMed and Embase) and from the relevant references lists. Methodical data extraction according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed. English-language studies published between 2000 and March 2015 were included. Eligibility criteria: Studies addressing prevalence, consequences and patterns of multimorbidity in South Asia. Articles documenting presence of two or more chronic conditions were included in the review. The quality and risk of bias were assessed using STROBE criteria. Data selection: Two reviewers independently assessed studies for eligibility, extracted data and assessed study quality. Due to heterogeneity in methodologies among reported studies, only narrative synthesis of the results was carried out. Results: Of 11 132, 61 abstracts were selected and 13 were included for final data synthesis. The number of health conditions analysed per study varied from 7 to 22, with prevalence of multimorbidity from 4.5% to 83%. The leading chronic conditions were hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, cardiac problems and skin diseases. The most frequently reported outcomes were increased healthcare utilisation, lowered physical functioning and quality of life, and psychological distress. Conclusions: Our study, a comprehensive mapping of multimorbidity research in South Asia, reveals the insufficient volume of work carried out in this domain. The published studies are inadequate to provide an indication of the magnitude of multimorbidity in these countries. Research into clinical and epidemiological aspects of multimorbidity is warranted to build up scientific evidence in this geographic region. The wide heterogeneity observed in the present review calls for greater methodological rigour while conducting these epidemiological studies. Trial registration number: CRD42013005456.

研究目标：系统回顾南亚地区已报道的多病共存（multimorbidity）的患病率、分布模式及不良结局相关研究。
研究设计：系统综述。
研究场景：南亚地区。
数据来源：从PubMed、Embase两大电子数据库及相关参考文献列表中检索获取文献。
数据提取流程：严格遵循《系统综述与荟萃分析优先报告条目》（Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses，PRISMA）指南开展标准化数据提取。
纳入标准：纳入2000年至2015年3月期间发表的英文文献；聚焦于南亚地区多病共存的患病率、分布模式及不良结局的研究；纳入明确记载存在2种及以上慢性疾病的文献。
质量与偏倚风险评价：采用《观察性研究报告规范》（Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology，STROBE）标准对研究质量及偏倚风险进行评估。
文献筛选流程：由2名研究者独立完成文献纳入性评估、数据提取及研究质量评价。鉴于纳入研究的方法学存在显著异质性，仅对研究结果进行描述性综合分析。
研究结果：初检共获取11132篇文献，最终筛选出61篇摘要，纳入13篇文献进行最终数据综合分析。每项研究分析的健康疾病种类数量介于7至22种之间，多病共存的患病率范围为4.5%至83%。位居前列的慢性疾病依次为高血压、关节炎、糖尿病、心脏疾病及皮肤疾病。最常被报道的结局包括医疗资源利用增加、躯体功能下降、生活质量降低以及心理困扰。
研究结论：本研究作为南亚地区多病共存研究的全面梳理，揭示出该领域的研究体量不足。现有已发表研究无法准确反映南亚各国多病共存的实际规模。亟需针对多病共存的临床与流行病学特征开展研究，以积累该地理区域的科学证据。本次综述中观察到的显著方法学异质性，提示开展此类流行病学研究时需进一步提升方法学严谨性。
试验注册号：CRD42013005456。