| Title: | Physical and mental health multimorbidity across the lifespan (LIfespaN multimorbidity research Collaborative: LINC). |
| Lead Institution: | Cardiff University |
| Principal investigator: | Professor Marianne van den Bree |
Application 79704
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About
Multimorbidity happens when two or more different diseases are present at the same time in an individual. Multimorbidity is common between physical and psychiatric diseases, but the reasons remain poorly understood. To really understand this, we need large studies of people of all ages whose health has been followed over time. Studies of children are crucial because they can tell us about early risks for development of physical and mental health multimorbidity (PMH-MM) later in life. We know that genes influence risk of many physical and psychiatric diseases. We also know that certain conditions that start early in life such as learning difficulties can increase risk of developing PMH-MM later in life. Early life environmental experiences such as poverty and abuse can also influence risk of PMH-MM development. But how exactly genes, early life conditions and early environmental risk factors influence the development of PMH-MM over the lifespan is still not understood. Risk of PMH-MM is also influenced by ethnicity and sex, but we don't know why this is. Better understanding of how PMH-MM develops in different groups in society will help doctors give patients care that is matched to their specific needs. It will also help doctors, governments and schools prevent PMH-MM in at-risk children in ways that work best for them. Our international LIfespaN multimorbidity research Collaborative (LINC) consists of 17 researchers from 7 institutions. LINC brings together five very large studies in which the health of many people has been followed over time. Rich medical data and genetic information is also available for these people, as well as information about living environments, life events and lifestyles. These studies follow the health over time of children, adolescents and different stages of adulthood, including older age (UKBB). We can therefore study PMH-MM in adulthood. Importantly we can then also study early risk factors in the children before they develop these conditions. Because our child and adult samples differ in ethnicity and economic situation, we can also study how the development of PMH-MM differs for different groups in society. Finally, because we have genetic data, we can study how genes influence PMH-MM development in people at risk. Our study will help us understand how PMH-MM develops and which circumstances influence this. What we learn will be important for the prevention of PMH-MM in children who are at risk because of genetics, their sex, or ethnic or economic reasons.1 Publication
| Pub ID | Title | Author(s) | Year | Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15366 | Contributions of common and rare genetic variation to different measures of mood and anxiety disorder in the UK Biobank | Ioanna K. Katzourou (+12) | 2025 | BJPsych Open |
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