Global Burden of Disease

Flashcards covering key concepts related to health measurement and disease burden.

Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)

Measures the average number of years a person can expect to live in full health, accounting for mortality and time in poor health.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)

Combination measure of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability, with one DALY representing one lost year of healthy life.

Burden of disease

Quantifies the gap between current health status and an ideal state of living free from disease and disability, facilitating health outcome comparisons.

Leading causes of death in high-income countries

Ischemic heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Leading causes of DALYs in high-income countries

Ischemic heart disease, low back and neck pain, and migraines.

Demographic transition

Shift from high fertility and mortality to low fertility and mortality, often with rapid population growth in between.

Epidemiologic transition

Shift in disease patterns from infectious and nutritional diseases to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), associated with increased life expectancy.

Behavioral risk factors in high-income regions

Smoking, high blood pressure, high body mass index, high fasting glucose, and alcohol use.

Leading risk factors in low- and middle-income regions

Environmental and nutritional risks like household air pollution, unsafe water and sanitation, and child growth failure.

Global burden of disease trend

Increasing noncommunicable diseases across most groups, while communicable diseases still dominate in sub-Saharan Africa.

Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)

Measures the average number of years a person can expect to live in full health, accounting for mortality and time in poor health.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)

Combination measure of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability, with one DALY representing one lost year of healthy life.

Burden of disease

Quantifies the gap between current health status and an ideal state of living free from disease and disability, facilitating health outcome comparisons.

Leading causes of death in high-income countries

Ischemic heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Leading causes of DALYs in high-income countries

Ischemic heart disease, low back and neck pain, and migraines.

Demographic transition

Shift from high fertility and mortality to low fertility and mortality, often with rapid population growth in between.

Epidemiologic transition

Shift in disease patterns from infectious and nutritional diseases to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), associated with increased life expectancy.

Behavioral risk factors in high-income regions

Smoking, high blood pressure, high body mass index, high fasting glucose, and alcohol use.

Leading risk factors in low- and middle-income regions

Environmental and nutritional risks like household air pollution, unsafe water and sanitation, and child growth failure.

Global burden of disease trend

Increasing noncommunicable diseases across most groups, while communicable diseases still dominate in sub-Saharan Africa.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)

Chronic diseases that are not passed from person to person, often resulting from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors.

Communicable diseases

Infectious diseases that can spread from one person or animal to another, or from an animal to a person, often caused by pathogenic microorganisms.

Primary drivers of the Epidemiologic Transition

Improvements in public health, sanitation, nutrition, and medical advancements leading to a decline in infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy.

Initial phase of the Demographic Transition

Characterized by high birth rates and high death rates, resulting in slow population growth, typically seen in pre-industrial societies.