A network of health problems, especially ones that share common social underpinnings and cause an increased public health burden on a community. An example of a syndemic is the linkage between the ready availability of snack foods, low socioeconomic status, sedentariness, overeating, obesity, and an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.
The coexistence of multiple diseases within a specific population, wherein there is a mutually reinforcing biological interaction between the diseases, amplifying their adverse impact on health.