Multisystemic

Multisystemic is an adjective used to describe something that involves or affects more than one body system or functional subsystem. In medicine, it denotes conditions in which disease processes or symptoms are distributed across multiple organ systems rather than confined to a single tissue or region.

The term is widely used to describe diseases that show multisystem involvement, including autoimmune, infectious, metabolic, genetic, or inflammatory disorders. Because symptoms span different organs, diagnosis often relies on a multidisciplinary approach. Management typically requires coordination among specialists such as internists, rheumatologists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and others, along with supportive care and rehabilitation as needed. Multisystemic patterns may also influence testing strategies, prognosis assessment, and therapeutic choices.

Examples of multisystemic conditions include multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) linked to prior SARS-CoV-2 infection; systemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect skin, joints, kidneys, and other organs; systemic sclerosis and other connective tissue diseases; and certain genetic or metabolic disorders that impact multiple organs. In addition, the concept appears in fields outside traditional medicine; for instance, multisystemic therapy is a defined, evidence-based approach in psychology and social work that targets youth risk behaviors by intervening across family, school, peer, and community systems.

Overall, multisystemic describes a broad pattern of involvement rather than a specific diagnosis, signaling the need for cross-disciplinary assessment and care.