Multimorbidity and mortality thereof, among non-western refugees and family reunification immigrants in Denmark: A register based cohort study
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- Multimorbidity and mortality thereof, among non-western refugees and family reunification immigrants in Denmark – a register based cohort study
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Background: The prevalence of multimorbidity, defined by having two or more chronic diseases, is increasing in many Western countries. Simultaneously, the migrant population in Western countries has increased, making up a growing proportion of European populations. This study aims i) to determine the quantity and quality of multimorbidity patterns among refugees and family reunification immigrants from non-Western countries compared to Danish-born, and ii) to compare the mortality burden among those with multimorbidity in the two groups. Methods: Through the Danish Immigration Service, we conducted a historically prospective cohort study. We identified a total of 101,894 adult migrants who were sub-categorised into refugees and family reunification immigrants, and matched them to a Danish-born comparison group 1:6 on age and sex. Through the Danish National Patient Registry, we obtained information on all in- and outpatient data on hospitalised and ambulatory patients. To assess multimorbidity we used Charlson Comorbidity Index based on ICD-10 codes, together with ICD-10 diagnostic categories for psychiatric disease. We used Cox regression analysis to calculate risk of multimorbidity and risk of mortality in people with multimorbidity. Results: Overall refugees had higher risk of multimorbidity compared to Danish-born, while family reunification immigrants had a lower risk. When adjusting for civil status and mean income, the risk was lower for all migrant groups compared to Danish-born. Risk of mortality in people with multimorbidity, was lower for all migrant groups, compared to Danish-born. Conclusion: Refugees are an at-risk group for multimorbidity, however, mortality among those with multimorbidity is lower in all migrant groups compared to Danish-born.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 844 |
Journal | BMC Public Health |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 1 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 1471-2458 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
- Multimorbidity, Non-western migrants, Secondary health care
Research areas
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