Comorbid Conditions

Comorbid conditions can include many different diseases and disorders. Research papers on comorbid conditions can be custom written by the writers at Paper Masters that have medical health degrees and can fully explicate any condition.

Comorbid conditions are a medical term in which one or more additional diseases or disorders occur at the same time with a primary disease or disorder. The additional disorders can be either physical or mental. The term comorbidity is more frequently used in medicine, and is being phased out when describing psychiatric diagnoses.

Comorbid Conditions and Modern Medicine

Modern medicine stresses specialization within the field. For example, there are cardiologists (heart specialists) and oncologists (cancer specialists). However, when an individual suffers from several diseases at the same time, the question arises as to how best treat this patient. For example, a diabetic with heart disease. In the 1970s, A.R. Feinstein coined the term "comorbidity," although there is no single agreed-upon definition of the term.

One classic example of comorbid conditions occurs with COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. Comorbid conditions are quite common in individuals with COPD, including:

• High blood pressure
• Elevated cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Depression

Individuals with COPD are more likely to have comorbid conditions than with any other disease, averaging four comorbid conditions. The presence of comorbid conditions increases the likelihood of hospital stays, and the rates of death. Individuals with COPD and comorbid conditions require large amounts of diverse medications.