Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering Analysis of co/multi-morbidities

Abstract

Although co/multi-morbidities are associated with significant increase in mortality, the lack of appropriate quantitative exploratory techniques often impede their analysis. In the current study, we study the clustering of multimorbid patients in the Texas patient population. To this end we employ agglomerative hierarchical clustering to find clusters within the patient population. The analysis revealed the presence of nine distinct, clinically relevant clusters of co/multi-morbidities within the study population of interest. This technique provides a quantitative exploratory analysis of the co/multi-morbidities present in a specific population.