ABSTRACT
Objective To invistigate the prevalence of chronic diseases, the conditions and patterns of multimorbidity in elderly people of China. Methods A total of 11 698 samples aged over 60 years were selected from 2015 data of china health and retirement longitudinal study(CHARLS) for descriptive statistics analysis of chronic disease and multimorbidity status. Results The prevalence of chronic diseases was 69.13%. Top three diseases of prevalence were arthritis or rheumatism (38.50%), hypertension (26.42%), stomach or Gastrointestinal system diseases (24.53%). The prevalence of multimorbidity was 43.65%, and top three diseases of multimorbidity were arthritis or rheumatism (28.78%), hypertension (21.29%), stomach or digestive system disease (20.01% ); Common dual disease combinations were gastric or digestive tract disease+arthritis or rheumatism, hypertension + arthritis or rheumatism, chronic lung disease + arthritis or rheumatism; common three disease combinations were hypertension+stomach or digestive tract disease + arthritis or rheumatism, stomach or digestive system disease + chronic lung disease + arthritis or rheumatism, hypertension+heart disease+joints inflammation or rheumatism. Conclusions The prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity among elderly people are high in China and conditions of chronic diseases and multimorbidity are not optimistic. The health administrative department should raise awareness of management in chronic diseases and multimorbidity, and take actions to improve the health status of the elderly.