Predicting declines in physical function in persons with multiple chronic medical conditions: What we can learn from the medical problem list

Table 4 Number of main chronic conditions as predictors of a decline in physical well being over four years

Number of main chronic conditions	N	Adjusted odds of a decine in PCS^ab (N = 1574)
Hypertension alone	281	1.0
One main chronic disease^c	607	1.1 (0.8, 1.4)
Two main chronic diseases^c	423	1.2 (0.8, 1.7)
Three main chronic diseases^c	197	1.4 (0.9, 2.2)
Four or more chronic diseases^c	66	2.8 (1.3, 5.9)

a) Adjusted for age, number of additional comorbid conditions, poverty level, gender, race, educational level, employment status, marital status.
b) Number of main chronic diseases as a predictor of a decrease in PCS is statistically significant at p < = .05
c) Subjects with one, two, three or four or more of the following: DM, CAD, CHF, musculoskeletal disease, respiratory disease, or depression. May also include hypertension.

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