Study: Over 60% of Estonian adults have at least one chronic illness
A University of Tartu study shows more than 60% of Estonian adults live with at least one chronic illness, and 42% have at least two. Nearly half of those with multiple chronic conditions are younger than 65.
A new population-based study from the University of Tartu has found that more than 60 percent of Estonian adults are living with at least one chronic illness, with many developing multiple long-term conditions before retirement age. The study, described as the most comprehensive of its kind in Estonia, shows that 42 percent of adults have at least two comorbid chronic illnesses, and nearly half of these individuals are of working age.
Dr. Angela Kannukene, an internal medicine physician and junior research fellow at the university, said the findings challenge the widespread belief that multimorbidity mainly affects the very old. "Nearly half of patients with multimorbidity are younger than 65," she noted, adding that prevention, earlier intervention and treatment are essential for both public health and the long-term sustainability of Estonia's healthcare system.
The research found that healthcare use rises steadily with each additional chronic condition, leading to more outpatient visits, emergency care, hospitalizations and prescription medications. Individuals with ten or more chronic conditions face more than three times the five-year mortality risk compared to peers with one or no chronic illness, and they are also two to three times more likely to experience treatment- or procedure-related complications.
Overall chronic disease rates have remained relatively stable in recent years, according to the study. However, obesity diagnoses have increased, which researchers suggest may reflect improved diagnosis and documentation, as well as broader access to new obesity treatments.
The findings are based on EST-Health-30, a new research database combining electronic health records, prescription data, Estonian Health Insurance Fund claims, and cancer and mortality registers for a randomly selected sample of about 510,000 people, or roughly 30 percent of the country's population. Sulev Reisberg, a health informatics research fellow at the university, said the database offers the first opportunity to track chronic disease across such a large share of the population over time. He added that this infrastructure will create a foundation for many new studies and help drive more evidence-based decision-making in healthcare.
