University of Tartu Study: Over 60% of Estonian Adults Have at Least One Chronic Illness

Nearly half of those with multiple chronic conditions are under 65, challenging the perception that multimorbidity mainly affects the elderly. Healthcare use rises with each additional illness, and those with 10 or more conditions face more than triple the five-year mortality risk. Obesity diagnoses have increased, possibly due to better detection and new treatments.

The findings draw on the EST-Health-30 database, covering about 510,000 people, or roughly 30 percent of Estonia's population. Nearly half of patients with multimorbidity are younger than 65, the researchers noted.