Physical Comorbidity, Clinical Correlates, and Inpatient Management Burden in Hospitalized Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, 272051 Jining, Shandong, China
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Jining Medical University, 272000 Jining, Shandong, China
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Zibo City Mental Health Center, 255100 Zibo, Shandong, China
- 4School of Psychology, Qufu Normal University, 273165 Qufu, Shandong, China
- 5Department of Physical Therapy, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, 272051 Jining, Shandong, China
Abstract
Background:: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is frequently accompanied by physical comorbidity, which may complicate inpatient assessment and management. However, large-scale patient-level studies investigating physical comorbidity and its impact on inpatient resource utilization among hospitalized patients with MDD remain limited. This study aimed to characterize the profile of physical comorbidity in MDD and examine its adjusted associations with indicators of inpatient management burden.
Methods:: In this large-scale cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 8463 patients with MDD admitted to a major psychiatric center. Patients were stratified according to the presence or absence of physical comorbidity. We assessed the prevalence and spectrum of physical comorbidity, compared demographic and clinical characteristics between groups, and used multivariable regression models to identify factors associated with physical comorbidity, as well as to examine its associations with length of stay, internal medicine consultation, and the use of physical therapies.
Results:: Physical comorbidity was identified in 56.9% of hospitalized patients with MDD. Among those with physical comorbidity, 65.2% had physical multimorbidity (≥2 conditions). Diseases of the circulatory system (80.7%) and endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (35.4%) were the most common disease categories. Older age, farming occupation, and greater severity of depressive episodes were independently associated with physical comorbidity. Physical comorbidity was also associated with a longer length of stay and substantially higher odds of requiring internal medicine consultation.
Conclusions:: This large inpatient cohort demonstrates that physical comorbidity is common, multisystemic, and clinically relevant among hospitalized patients with MDD. These findings support the routine assessment of physical health and timely multidisciplinary care during hospitalization, particularly for older patients, farmers, and those with severe depressive episodes.
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BibTeX
@article{jiang2026physical,
title = {{Physical Comorbidity, Clinical Correlates, and Inpatient Management Burden in Hospitalized Patients With Major Depressive Disorder}},
author = {Zhuo Jiang and Haining Song and Lingnan Gao and Chen Wei and Chenghao Zhang and Zhan Wang and Kun Li and Zhonggang Wang},
journal = {Alpha Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31083/ap51021},
url = {https://doi.org/10.31083/ap51021},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physical Comorbidity, Clinical Correlates, and Inpatient Management Burden in Hospitalized Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
AU - Zhuo Jiang
AU - Haining Song
AU - Lingnan Gao
AU - Chen Wei
AU - Chenghao Zhang
AU - Zhan Wang
AU - Kun Li
AU - Zhonggang Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Alpha Psychiatry
DO - 10.31083/ap51021
UR - https://doi.org/10.31083/ap51021
AB - Background:: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is frequently accompanied by physical comorbidity, which may complicate inpatient assessment and management. However, large-scale patient-level studies investigating physical comorbidity and its impact on inpatient resource utilization among hospitalized patients with MDD remain limited. This study aimed to characterize the profile of physical comorbidity in MDD and examine its adjusted associations with indicators of inpatient management burden. Methods:: In this large-scale cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 8463 patients with MDD admitted to a major psychiatric center. Patients were stratified according to the presence or absence of physical comorbidity. We assessed the prevalence and spectrum of physical comorbidity, compared demographic and clinical characteristics between groups, and used multivariable regression models to identify factors associated with physical comorbidity, as well as to examine its associations with length of stay, internal medicine consultation, and the use of physical therapies. Results:: Physical comorbidity was identified in 56.9% of hospitalized patients with MDD. Among those with physical comorbidity, 65.2% had physical multimorbidity (≥2 conditions). Diseases of the circulatory system (80.7%) and endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (35.4%) were the most common disease categories. Older age, farming occupation, and greater severity of depressive episodes were independently associated with physical comorbidity. Physical comorbidity was also associated with a longer length of stay and substantially higher odds of requiring internal medicine consultation. Conclusions:: This large inpatient cohort demonstrates that physical comorbidity is common, multisystemic, and clinically relevant among hospitalized patients with MDD. These findings support the routine assessment of physical health and timely multidisciplinary care during hospitalization, particularly for older patients, farmers, and those with severe depressive episodes.
SN - 2757-8038
ER -