comorbid

[ koh-mawr-bid ]

adjective

1. (of medical conditions) present simultaneously in a patient:

   comorbid insomnia and anxiety;

   depression comorbid with phobias;

   diabetics with comorbid hypertension.

Other Words From

• comor·bidi·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of comorbid¹

First recorded in 1980–85; co- + morbid ( def ) (in the sense “associated with or characteristic of a disease”)

More About Comorbid

What does comorbid mean?

Comorbid describes two or more diseases or medical conditions that exist at the same time in a person, as in The patient had a case of malaria with comorbid pneumonia. 

The conditions or illnesses said to be comorbid are unrelated to each other. They are simply occurring at the same time. One did not cause the other. However, the presence of one disease can worsen the condition of another.

Comorbidity is the state of having multiple medical conditions at the same time, as in Arthritis is a common comorbidity of obesity. 

Example: The man was suffering from depression and comorbid insomnia.

Where does comorbid come from?

The first records of comorbid come from around 1980. It combines the prefix co-, meaning “together or jointly,” and the word morbid, meaning “associated with disease.” A comorbid disease or condition exists with another one in the same person.

Often, a comorbid disease or condition is only discovered when a patient is seeing a doctor for more obvious symptoms of something else. For example, a doctor might be examining a patient showing signs of diabetes and discover that they also have a chronic heart condition.

Some conditions or diseases are commonly found to be comorbid with particular diseases, especially if the two have similar causes or affect the same part of the body. Insomnia, for example, is especially likely to be comorbid in patients with depression.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to comorbid?

• comorbidity (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with comorbid? 

• morbid
• coordinate
• coexist

What are some words that often get used in discussing comorbid?

• disease
• illness
• condition
• simultaneous

How is comorbid used in real life?

Comorbid is used to describe multiple medical conditions happening at the same time.

Carlson: rates of comorbid ADHD are also quite different for teens with broad phenotype bipolar vs narrow phenotype bipolar.

— Child Mind Institute (@ChildMindInst) May 30, 2013

Diabetes is a common comorbid disease in stroke patients.

— Italo Kumamoto (@fikkumamoto) October 7, 2010

A #COVID19 positive person has died in Bhilwara, #Rajasthan. He had comorbid conditions including diseases relating to kidney and blood pressure: Rajan Nanda, Principal, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital#CoronavirusPandemic #COVID2019 #TV9News

— tv9gujarati (@tv9gujarati) March 27, 2020

 

 

Try using comorbid!

Is comorbid used correctly in the following sentence?

Indigestion is a comorbid condition caused by a stomach ulcer.