How this fits in

Clinical care for patients with multimorbidity is complex. Understanding which combinations of long-term conditions result in the highest primary care use may inform the targeting of disease prevention and care integration efforts. This study identified the clustering of alcohol dependence, substance dependence, HIV, and mental health conditions as groups associated with the highest increases in primary care demand as additional long-term conditions developed over time. The first estimates, to the authors’ knowledge, of the impact of multimorbidity on primary care consultations across ethnic groups are also provided.