Global Burden of Disease Study highlights impact of COVID-19 and health inequalities

Rates of premature death and ill health caused by HIV/AIDS and diarrhea have halved since 2010, and the burden of disease caused by injuries has fallen by a quarter over the same time period, after age differences are taken into account and population size in all countries, according to a new study published in The Lancet. The study measures the burden of disease in years lost to early death and ill health. The findings indicate that overall disease burden rates decreased by 14.2% between 2010 and 2019. However, the researchers found that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted these downward trends: overall disease burden rates increased from 2019 by 4, 1% in 2020 and by 7.2% in 2021. This is the first study to measure premature death and disability due to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and compare it to other diseases and injuries.

The study reveals how healthy life expectancy, which is 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. Identifying the factors driving these trends, the researchers point to rapid improvements in the three different categories of disease burden: communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases. non-communicable diseases? and injuries. Among communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases, the burden of disease decreased for neonatal disorders (diseases and injuries that occur only in the first month of life), lower respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS between 2010 and in 2021, ranging from reductions of 17.1% for neonatal disorders to 47.8% for HIV/AIDS. In the non-communicable disease category, the disease burden from stroke decreased by 16.9%, while the burden from ischemic heart disease decreased by 12.0% during this period.

In terms of injuries, years of healthy life lost due to road injuries fell by almost a quarter (22.9%), while the burden of disease from falls fell 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 due to stroke fell by 9.6% from 2010 to 2021 in countries with the lowest socio-demographic index, but fell faster – by 24.9% – among countries with the highest socio-demographic index.

Our study illuminates both the world’s successes and failures. It shows how the world has made huge strides in expanding HIV/AIDS treatment and fighting vaccine-preventable disease and death in children under 5. At the same time, it shows how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities, causing the greatest burden of disease in countries with the fewest resources, where health systems were strained and vaccines were difficult to secure. Governments should prioritize equitable pandemic preparedness planning and work to sustain the momentum we have seen in improving children’s health.”

Dr Alize Ferrari, Associate Associate Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Associate Professor Emeritus at the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland and co-first author of the study

The research presents updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease, Injury and Risk Factors (GBD) Study 2021. The GBD 2021 study analyzes incidence, prevalence, disability life years (years lived in less than ideal health) and disability -adjusted life years (healthy life years lost) at global, regional, national and sub-national levels. It presents estimates of health and health loss in age-adjusted rates and overall rates per 100,000 people. The study provides globally comparable measures of healthy life expectancy and is the first study to fully assess the burden of disease during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was the single leading cause of global disease burden in 2021, accounting for 7.4% of the total global disease burden.

The study also looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected men and women differently. The researchers found that men were more likely than women to die from COVID-19. the age-standardized rate of disease burden for COVID-19 in men was almost twice that of women. However, the secondary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including long-term COVID and mental disorders, are hitting women harder. For example, women were twice as likely as men to develop long-term COVID. Depression, which increased sharply during the pandemic, was more likely to affect women between the ages of 15 and 65. Looking at differences between age groups, COVID-19 caused the greatest disease burden in older adults. For COVID-19, adults aged 70 and older had more than double the disease burden compared to adults aged 50 to 69.

The study highlights not only the diseases and injuries that shorten life and cause ill health, and how the burden of disease from different causes has changed over time, but also examines how these patterns differ between countries and regions. “In essence,” the authors write, the study “provides a comprehensive toolbox to inform and improve decision-making processes at various levels of governance and practice.”

GBD 2021 sheds light on the various causes of disease burden, showing which have improved and which are stagnating or worsening. It also estimates the number of years people live healthy lives. Healthy life expectancy increased significantly in 59 countries and territories between 2010 and 2021, with the greatest improvements in countries ranked lower on the socio-demographic index, from 52.2 years in 2010 to 54.4 years in 2021. In contrast, healthy life expectancy showed little change between countries at the highest levels of the socio-demographic index, with a slight decrease from 68.9 years in 2010 to 68.5 years in 2021. The findings on healthy life expectancy show that although people are living longer around the world , is not to spend all these years in good health. The researchers found that the main causes of ill health were low back pain, depressive disorders and headache disorders.

“With low back pain, the leading cause of ill health worldwide, we see that existing treatments are not working well to treat it,” said Dr. Stream lead at the Queensland Center for Mental Health Research. Adjunct Fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland. and co-first author of the study. “We need better tools to manage this important cause of the global burden of disease.”

“In contrast, for depressive disorders, we know what can work: therapy, medication, or both in combination over a sufficient period of time. Yet most people in the world have little or no access to therapy, unfortunately,” he said. “Given how depression has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is urgent to ensure that everyone with this disorder can receive treatment.”

Another way to figure out what makes people sick is by looking at which diseases develop the fastest. GBD 2021 reveals that diabetes has seen the fastest growth among the various causes of ill health, what the researchers call disability life years. Age-adjusted years lived with disability due to diabetes increased by 25.9% between 2010 and 2021. Poor health from diabetes increased in every country and region the researchers studied.

“Diabetes is a major contributor to stroke and ischemic heart disease, which are among the top three causes of disease burden worldwide,” said Dr. Theo Vos, emeritus professor at IHME and one of the study’s senior authors. “Without intervention, more than 1.3 billion people in the world will be living with diabetes by 2050. To address the threat of diabetes, we must ensure that people in all countries can access preventive care and treatment, including of anti-obesity drugs, which can reduce a person’s risk of developing diabetes.”