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Taking into account age and population differences, rates of premature death and poor health due to HIV/AIDS and diarrhea have fallen by half since 2010, and rates of disease burden due to injuries have fallen by a quarter over the same period.The size of each country based on new research published in lancet.
This study measures the burden of disease in years lost to premature death and poor health. The findings show that the total global disease burden fell by 14.2% between 2010 and 2019. However, researchers found that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted these downward trends. That is, the disease burden rate increased by 4.1% overall from 2019 to 2020; 7.2% in 2021. This is the first study to measure premature death and disability due to the COVID-19 pandemic globally and compare it to other diseases and injuries.
The study reveals how healthy life expectancy, the number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has increased from 61.3 years in 2010 to 62.2 years in 2021. Researchers pinpoint the factors driving these trends and point to rapid improvements in healthy life expectancy. Three different categories of disease burden: communicable diseases, maternal diseases, neonatal diseases, and nutritional diseases. non-communicable diseases; and injuries.
Among communicable diseases, maternal diseases, neonatal diseases, and nutritional diseases, the disease burden of neonatal diseases (diseases and injuries that exhibit characteristic symptoms in the first month of life), lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS decreased during 2010. In 2021, there will be a 17.1% decline in neonatal diseases to 47.8% in HIV/AIDS. In the noncommunicable disease category, the disease burden from stroke decreased by 16.9% and the disease burden from ischemic heart disease decreased by 12.0% during this period.
Regarding injuries, the years of healthy life lost due to road injuries decreased by almost a quarter (22.9%), and the disease burden from falls decreased by 6.9%. Progress in reducing the burden of disease varies by country's socio-demographic index, a measure of income, fertility and education, highlighting inequalities. For example, the burden of disease from stroke decreased by 9.6% from 2010 to 2021 in countries with the lowest socio-demographic indices, but the decline was faster in countries with higher socio-demographic indices, by 24.9%.
“Our research reveals both the successes and failures of the world,” said Alize, an affiliated associate professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and associate professor emeritus at the university's School of Public Health.・Dr. Ferrari said. She is a PhD from Queensland and co-lead author of the study.
“This shows how the world has made significant progress in expanding treatment for HIV/AIDS and combating vaccine-preventable deaths in children under five. At the same time, This shows how the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and caused the highest burden of disease in countries.'' With health systems stretched and vaccines difficult to secure, governments are prioritizing equitable pandemic preparedness. We should strive to maintain the momentum of improvements in children's health that we have seen. ”
This study presents the latest estimates from the 2021 Global Disease, Injury and Risk Factor Survey (GBD). The GBD 2021 study analyzes prevalence, prevalence, years lived with disability (years lived with less than ideal health), and disability. -Adjusted life years (years of healthy life lost) at global, regional, national and local levels. Estimates of health and health loss are presented as age-adjusted rates and total rates per 100,000 people.
This study provides a globally comparable measure of healthy life expectancy and is the first to fully assess the burden of disease during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 became the single leading cause of global disease burden in 2021, accounting for 7.4% of the total global disease burden.
The study also examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected men and women differently. Researchers have found that men are more likely to die from coronavirus infection than women. The age-standardized COVID-19 burden rate for men was almost twice that of women. But the secondary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as long-term COVID-19 infections and mental health disorders, are hitting women hardest. For example, women were twice as likely to develop a long-lasting coronavirus infection than men.
Depression has skyrocketed during the pandemic, most affecting women between the ages of 15 and 65. Looking at differences between age groups, COVID-19 caused the highest disease burden among older people. When it comes to COVID-19, adults aged 70 and older had more than twice the level of disease burden compared to adults aged 50 to 69.
This study not only reveals how the burden of diseases, injuries, and various causes that shorten life expectancy and worsen health outcomes has changed over time, but also how these patterns differ by country and region. We are also investigating how they differ. “In essence,” the authors write, the study “provides a comprehensive toolkit to inform and enhance decision-making processes across various levels of governance and practice.”
GBD 2021 highlights the different causes of disease burden, showing which causes are improving and which are stagnant or worsening. It also tallies the number of years people have been living a healthy life. Healthy life expectancy increased significantly in 59 countries and territories between 2010 and 2021, with the greatest improvement observed in countries that ranked lowest on the socio-demographic index, from 52.2 years in 2010 to 2021. In 2017, his age jumped to 54.4 years.
In contrast, healthy life expectancy showed minimal change among countries with the highest socio-demographic indices, decreasing slightly from 68.9 years in 2010 to 68.5 years in 2021. Although research on healthy life expectancy shows that people are living longer, around the world they are not spending their years in better health. Researchers found that the main causes of poor health were back pain, depression, and headache disorders.
“This study shows that existing treatments are not successfully addressing low back pain, a leading cause of poor health worldwide,” said Dr. Damian Santomauro, affiliated assistant professor of health metrics science at IHME. He is a stream leader at the Queensland Center for Mental Health Research. He is a part-time research fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland. He is also the study's co-lead author. “We need better tools to manage the leading causes of global disease burden.”
“In contrast, for depressive disorders, we know that therapy, medication, or a combination of both over an appropriate period of time can be effective. Unfortunately, most people around the world do not receive treatment. They receive little or no access,” he said. “Given how depression has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to ensure that all people with this disorder have access to treatment.”
Another way to understand what makes people sick is to look at which diseases are increasing the fastest. GBD 2021 reveals that diabetes is the fastest growing of the various causes of poor health. This is what researchers call “years lived with a disability.” Age-adjusted years lived with disability due to diabetes increased by 25.9% from 2010 to 2021. In every country and region the researchers looked at, there was an increase in poor health outcomes due to diabetes.
“Diabetes is the leading cause of stroke and ischemic heart disease, which are among the top three causes of global disease burden,” said Theo, professor emeritus at IHME and one of the study's senior authors.・Dr. Boss stated. “Without intervention, more than 1.3 billion people worldwide will be living with diabetes by 2050. To combat the threat of diabetes, people in all countries need preventive care, including anti-obesity drugs. and treatment, which can lower the risk of developing diabetes.”
