Morbidity (from Latin
morbidus: sick, unhealthy) refers to a diseased state, disability, or poor health due to any cause.
The term may be used to refer to the existence of any form of disease, or to the degree that the health condition affects the patient.
Comorbidity is the simultaneous presence of two medical conditions.
In epidemiology the term
morbidity rate can refer to either the
incidence rate, or the
prevalence of a disease or medical condition. This measure of sickness is contrasted with the
mortality rate of a condition, which is the proportion of people dying during a given time interval.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Disease. Internet. Accessed on October 26, 2009.