Rotbain EC, Rostgaard K, Andersen MA, et al. - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) diagnosis could reveal incipient diseases and worsen comorbidities and thereby have considerably broader health implications compared to those directly associated with CLL.

• Data from Danish nation-wide registers were used to analyze current patterns of healthcare utilization in CLL.

• Participants were 9,170 CLL patients with a median age of 71 years, of whom 35% had ≥ 1 comorbidity.

• A marked increase in healthcare utilization was observed upon CLL diagnosis both in patients with and without comorbidities.

• During the year after CLL diagnosis, hospitalization occurred in 39%, emergency room visit in 16%, out-patient clinic visit in 88%, and receipt of prescription drugs in 93%.

• Increased healthcare utilization of all types, except for contacts to hematological departments, was evident in relation to both individual comorbidities and the total number of comorbidities.