Association of inflammatory markers and multimorbidity in young adults: cross-sectional findings from the Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort, 1993

Early diagnosis can be a beneficial factor for minimizing health risks related to multimorbidity. This study aims to assess the association of multimorbidity with interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and adiponectin in 22-year-old participants of the Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort. A total of 3, 578 subjects had serum measurements of IL-6, CRP, and adiponectin at the 22-year-old visit. For multimorbidity evaluation, a list of 15 morbidities was used and divided into subgroups (cardiometabolic, pulmonary, allergic diseases, and mental disorders). The occurrence of ≥ 2 morbidities was higher in females (55.1%) than in males (45.2%). A negative association between multimorbidity and adiponectin was found in females, whereas positive associations between the number of diseases and IL-6 and CRP were observed in males. For both sexes, cardiometabolic problem was the morbidity most associated with the markers. The analysis for isolated diseases identified dyslipidemia was the only cardiometabolic condition associated with physiological markers. Our findings suggest an inverse association between multimorbidity and adiponectin in females, as well as a direct cumulative association between the number of diseases and IL-6 and CRP in males at a young age.