comorbidities
3 synonyms for comorbidities, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Plural noun — Additional medical conditions that a patient has at the same time as a main illness being treated or studied.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
coexisting conditions
concurrent conditions
underlying conditions
How to use comorbidities
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
multiple comorbidities
underlying comorbidities
patients with comorbidities
adjusted for comorbidities
Clinical and epidemiological writing; rare in ordinary conversation before it entered wide public use through pandemic reporting.
Etymology
From co- "together with" and morbidity, ultimately from Latin morbus "disease".
Full origin of comorbidities →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a comorbidity and a complication?
A comorbidity is a separate condition the patient already has alongside the main illness, such as asthma in someone being treated for cancer. A complication is a new problem caused by the illness or its treatment. The difference is origin: comorbidities run in parallel, complications follow on.
Does a comorbidity have to be related to the main condition?
No. The term simply means the conditions coexist in the same patient. They may share a cause, as diabetes and heart disease often do, or be entirely unconnected — the clinical point is that treatment must take both into account.
Is the singular comorbidity or co-morbidity?
The singular is comorbidity. Both the closed spelling and the hyphenated "co-morbidity" appear in medical writing, but most journals and style guides now prefer comorbidity without the hyphen.
