ISPOR 2025 posters: Exclusive author insights

In the cardio-kidney-metabolic space, the interconnections between these conditions are well documented, yet they are rarely considered in economic assessments of treatments or in healthcare capacity planning. Understanding how these diseases overlap is a crucial first step toward recognizing the hidden value of therapies that deliver benefits across multiple conditions. This perspective also highlights the complex interdependencies between diseases and how addressing one area can lead to indirect consequences in another.

We extrapolated data from NHANES to examine the overlap between six interrelated diseases from 2006 to 2023. We found that the prevalence of each disease has increased at a rate that exceeds overall population growth. Using upset graphs, we visualized the sixty-four possible combinations of morbidities, clearly illustrating the importance of considering multimorbidity in future research and planning.

Our research underscores the need for multi-indication economic assessments of treatments such as GLP1-RAs or SGLT2is, which provide benefits across the cardio-kidney-metabolic spectrum. Traditional epidemiological studies often focus on a single “primary” disease. In contrast, this work quantifies sixty-four distinct combinations, revealing the substantial proportion of people living with multiple, interrelated conditions.

The growth of multimorbidity in the U.S. population is striking – the proportion of adults with these overlapping conditions has increased by 86% over seventeen years. These patients present an escalating clinical challenge, making it essential to adopt holistic management strategies and value assessments that reflect the true complexity of their health needs.

If you have any questions or would like to hear more about our research please contact Thomas Padgett, Principal Operational Researcher at HEOR: thomas.padgett@heor.co.uk.