Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics · Jul 11, 2026

Multimorbidity and the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in the general population: A meta-analysis of population-based cohort studies

By Shan J, Xie X, Yin R et al.

BACKGROUND: There are varying studies that report the role of multimorbidity in increasing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. However, inconsistent results were found, and the findings remain controversial. A meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the associations from relevant studies. OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively assess the association between multimorbidity and all-cause and/or cause-specific mortality (cardiovascular and cancer) either in the general population or in patients with different patterns of multimorbidity. METHODS: We searched PubMed, and Embase and hand-searched to identify additional records. All English articles that reported adjusted risk estimates on the association of multimorbidity and mortality outcomes were included. RESULTS: A total of 69 cohort studies were identified, comprising 22717291 individuals. Multimorbidity was related to mortality outcomes (all-causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer). The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for multiple chronic conditions and risk of all-cause mortality were 2.015 (95% CI:1.870-2.171, I²: 99.8%, n = 69) in the general population, 2.275 (95% CI:2.093-2.473, I²:98.9%, n = 16) in patients with cardiovascular multimorbidity and 4.006 (95% CI:2.094-7.666, I²:99.8%, n = 5) in patients with physical-mental multimorbidity. The HRs for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) mortality were 2.773 (95% CI:2.358-3.261, I²:99.3%, n = 13) in the general population, 3.358 (95% CI:2.373-4.752, I²:99.6%, n = 7) in patients with cardiovascular multimorbidity. The HRs for cancer mortality were 1.489 (95% CI:1.326-1.672, I²:93.0%, n = 4) in the general population, 1.237 (95% CI:1.125-1.360, I²:47.3%, n = 2) in patients with cardiovascular multimorbidity. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrates that multimorbidity is a significant driver of all-cause, CVD specific, and cancer-specific mortality, with physical-mental and cardiovascular clusters conferring the highest risk. These findings underscore the urgent need to transition from single-disease management to integrated, patient-centered care models to mitigate these adverse outcomes.

doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2026.106358PubMed 42475970Populations