Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the association of circadian syndrome(CircS) with the risks of 10 incident chronic diseases and multimorbidity(≥2 diseases).
Methods: Based on the baseline data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS), 8,093 participants were enrolled(CircS group:
n=3,091; non-CircS group:
n=5,002). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of CircS with the risks of incident chronic diseases and multimorbidity. Additionally, dose-response analyses, stratified analyses by follow-up duration(≤4 years
vs >4 years), and analyses of dynamic changes in CircS status were performed.
Results: CircS was significantly associated with the increased risks of incident stroke(
HR=2.07), memoryrelated diseases(
HR=1.62), liver diseases(
HR=1.38), heart diseases(
HR=1.27), kidney diseases(
HR=1.28) and digestive system diseases(
HR=1.23). Dose-response analyses revealed that the participants with CircS scores ≥6 points had a 170% increase in the risk of incident stroke(
HR=2.70, 95% CI: 2.12-3.44), and a 66% increase in the risk of incident heart diseases(
HR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.35-2.04). The risk of incident stroke was significantly increased during the short-term follow-up(≤4 years), whereas the risks of incident kidney diseases, digestive system diseases, and liver diseases emerged predominantly after the long-term follow-up(>4 years). Regarding multimorbidity, CircS was significantly associated with higher risks of developing ≥2(
HR=1.30), ≥3(
HR=1.42), ≥4(
HR=1.53) and ≥5(
HR=1.49) diseases in the participants, and the risks of incident multimorbidity(≥5 diseases) were most pronounced in those with CircS scores ≥6 points(
HR=2.74). The analyses of dynamic changes in CircS status revealed that persistent CircS conferred the highest risk of incident diseases(stroke:
HR=3.04). Notably, residual risks of incident stroke, heart diseases and liver diseases remained even after CircS remission.
Conclusion: CircS is significantly associated with the risks of incident multiple chronic diseases and multimorbidity. This association exhibits dose-response gradients and time-varying patterns. The risks of incident diseases remain even after CircS remission, suggesting that CircS may serve as a potential indicator for the risk assessment of chronic diseases.