CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTIMORBIDITY IN HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY PATIENTS

Objectives: To evaluate the characteristics of multimorbidity in hospitalized elderly patients and identify factors associated with the length of stay and the number of comorbidities. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted using 507 medical records of patients aged > 60 years. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to evaluate the associations between age, sex, number of comorbidities, and length of stay. Results: The median age of patients was 73 years, and the sex distribution was relatively balanced (49.3% male, 50.7% female). The median length of stay was 9 days, and the median number of comorbidities was 3. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (61.9%), followed by chronic lung disease (30.4%) and diabetes (26.4%). Older age and number of comorbidities were associated with longer length of stay. The number of comorbidities was an independent factor affecting the length of hospital stay (OR = 1.63; 95%CI = 1.41 - 1.89). Conclusion: Multimorbidity is common in hospitalized elderly patients, and factors such as advanced age and the number of comorbidities increase the length of hospital stay. Management and medical care should be strengthened to meet the needs of this group of patients.