Clinical Characteristics and Medication Patterns of Patients with Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity

Background Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) was one of the most common comorbidity aggregation patterns in different regions and populations, with a high risk of mortality. However, studies on the clinical and medication characteristics of CMM were limited. Objective To study the clinical characteristics and medication patterns of patients with CMM in the real world, and provide reference basis for the prevention and management of CMM. Methods Outpatient patients who were diagnosed with CMM in the hospital information system (HIS) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University from January 2023 to June 2023 were selected. Basic prescription information was collected and analyzed using frequency analysis and association rule analysis methods. Results A total of 7 059 patients with CMM were included, of which 3 960 (56.1%) were male and 3 099 (43.9%) were female, with an age range of 18 to 97 years and a mean age of (58.1±13.7) years. The results showed that 3 910 patients with less than 5 types of medication, accounting for 55.4%; 2 740 patients with 5-9 types of medication, accounting for 38.8%; and 409 patients with more than 10 types of medication, accounting for 5.8%. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes were the core diseases of CMM. Among the comorbidities of cardiovascular metabolic diseases, chronic gastritis, renal insufficiency, and hyperuricemia were more common. In the prescription of patients with CMM, statins, calcium channel blockers (CCB), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), metformin, and sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were the core medications. Conclusion Our findings suggest chronic gastritis, renal insufficiency, and hyperuricemia are more common diseases in patients with CMM. Screening and prevention should be strengthened and treatment strategies should be adjusted. In the CMM drug prescription, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, and hypoglycemic drugs are the core drugs used.