This cross-sectional study was conducted among a rural elderly population of 725 individuals aged over 60 years from Eastern India to assess the association of multiple chronic diseases with frailty and dependence. Multimorbidity, frailty, and dependence were assessed using prevalidated tools. Regression models were used to assess the association between variables and adjust for confounders.

The overall prevalence of multimorbidity was 48.8 % and that of frailty and dependence for activities of daily living was 58.6 % and 5.4 %, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.53) between the mean age of persons with and without multimorbidity. Frailty and dependency, however, showed a significant increasing trend with the mean age. Unadjusted bivariate analyses showed a significantly larger proportion of persons who were frail or at risk of frailty having multimorbidity as compared to those who were robust. Logistic regression models showed a significant association between risk of frailty and multimorbidity but failed to demonstrate a significant relationship between dependency and number of chronic diseases when adjusted for the interaction between frailty and chronic diseases.

There was a significant association between dependence, frailty, and multimorbidity. Further research to determine the extent, direction, and nature of this complex relationship needs to be explored.

这项横断面研究是在印度东部 725 名 60 岁以上的农村老年人群中进行的，目的是评估多种慢性疾病与虚弱和依赖的关系。使用预先验证的工具评估多发病、虚弱和依赖性。回归模型用于评估变量之间的关联并调整混杂因素。

多发病的总患病率为 48.8%，而虚弱和日常生活活动依赖的患病率分别为 58.6% 和 5.4%。患有和不患有多种疾病的人的平均年龄之间没有统计学上的显着差异（p = 0.53）。然而，随着平均年龄的增长，虚弱和依赖表现出显着增加的趋势。未经调整的双变量分析显示，与身体强壮的人相比，身体虚弱或有虚弱风险的人有多重疾病的比例要大得多。Logistic 回归模型显示虚弱风险与多种疾病之间存在显着关联，但在针对虚弱与慢性疾病之间的相互作用进行调整后，未能证明依赖性与慢性疾病数量之间存在显着关系。

依赖、虚弱和多发病之间存在显着关联。需要进一步研究以确定这种复杂关系的程度、方向和性质。