Table 3.

Association between number of comorbidities and primary care consultations, hospitalisations, and medications prescribed

	Primary care consultations			Hospitalisations*			Medications
	Mean (SD)	Rate ratio (95% CI)	p Value	Mean (SD)	Rate ratio (95% CI)	p Value	Mean (SD)	Rate ratio (95% CI)	p Value
Number of comorbidities
Low, 0 or 1	47.6 (35.2)	0.81 (0.78 to 0.85)	<0.001	2.0 (2.0)	0.88 (0.78 to 0.99)	0.031	152 (205)	0.55 (0.52 to 0.59)	<0.001
Moderate, 2 or 3	55.2 (41.8)	Ref	–	2.2 (2.3)	Ref	–	254 (307)	Ref	–
High, 4 or 5	59.6 (46.0)	1.13 (1.09 to 1.17)	<0.001	2.6 (2.6)	1.19 (1.07 to 1.32)	0.001	320 (376)	1.34 (1.27 to 1.43)	<0.001
Very high, ≥6	63.8 (49.6)	1.31 (1.25 to 1.36)	<0.001	3.4 (6.8)	1.62 (1.44 to 1.83)	<0.001	365 (421)	1.68 (1.57 to 1.81)	<0.001
Female	55.3 (42.8)	0.96 (0.93 to 0.99)	0.004	2.3 (3.7)	0.84 (0.77 to 0.92)	<0.001	279 (351)	1.16 (1.1,-1.22)	<0.001
Age group
<75 years	69.2 (46.6)	Ref	–	2.4 (2.8)	Ref	–	295 (372)	Ref	–
75–79 years	61.3 (45.2)	1.03 (0.98 to 1.07)	0.27	2.9 (6.2)	1.32 (1.15 to 1.50)	<0.001	287 (344)	1.04 (0.96 to 1.12)	0.318
80–84 years	57.7 (44.1)	1.01 (0.97 to 1.05)	0.563	2.4 (2.5)	1.28 (1.13 to 1.46)	<0.001	296 (368)	1.1 (1.03 to 1.18)	0.007
85–89 years	47.9 (38.5)	1.03 (0.98 to 1.07)	0.219	2.3 (2.2)	1.55 (1.36 to 1.76)	<0.001	242 (308)	1.04 (0.97 to 1.12)	0.293
≥90 years	40.8 (34.6)	1.04 (0.99 to 1.1)	0.109	2.1 (1.9)	1.66 (1.41 to 1.95)	<0.001	188 (239)	1.05 (0.96 to 1.15)	0.291

Rate ratios derived from negative binomial regression model, adjusted for age and gender. Mean values represent figures over 3 years.

*In total,2853 participants included due to missing linked data.