morbidity
noun
mor·bid·i·ty
mȯr-ˈbi-də-tē
1
: the quality or state of being morbid
especially
: an attitude, quality, or state of mind marked by excessive gloom
… there must have been some strange morbidity in his nature which made him take a grim pleasure in self-torture. —
Somerset Maugham
2
: a diseased state or symptom : ill health
Parasitic protozoans and helminths represent two major groups of infectious agents that are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations.—
Adel A. F. Mahmoud
also
: a complication or undesirable side effect following surgery or medical treatment
Because laryngectomy results in substantial functional morbidity, including the loss of the natural voice … alternative forms of treatment have been developed. —
The New England Journal of Medicine
3
: the incidence of disease : the rate of illness (as in a specified population or group)
Because the young lack immune capability, the morbidity of viral upper respiratory diseases often reaches 100 percent of kittens in a litter or household.—
Margaret Reister
also
: the incidence of complications or undesirable side effects following surgery or medical treatment
… radical prostatectomy in this setting … is associated with a very high morbidity. —
Phillip W. Kantoff
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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