The burden of disease and injury in Serbia.
BACKGROUND
In the last decade of the 20th century, a considerable effort has been put into the development of summary measures of population health that combine information on mortality and non-fatal health outcomes. We used the DALYs (Disability adjusted life years) method to assess the burden of disease and injury in the population of Serbia.


METHODS
Our study, largely based on the methods developed for the Global burden of disease study, was conducted between October 2002 and September 2003. DALYs, stratified by gender and age, were calculated for 18 selected health conditions for the population of Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro for 2000. Years of life lost (YLL) were calculated using country mortality statistics, while years lived with disability (YLD) were calculated using different sources of information. Also, the YLD/YYL ratio and age-adjusted rates of DALYs were calculated.


RESULTS
Ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, lung cancer, unipolar depressive disorders, and diabetes mellitus were responsible for almost two-thirds (70%) of the total burden of 18 selected disorders in Serbia 2000. The leading five causes for males were ischaemic heart disease (26.1 DALY per 1000), stroke (17.9), lung cancer (12.7), road traffic accidents (6.5), and self-inflicted injuries (5.5). For females, the leading five causes were stroke (18.1 DALY per 1000), ischaemic heart disease (14.1), depression (8.7), breast cancer (6.1), and diabetes mellitus (5.2).


CONCLUSIONS
The final results of the study have shown that the national health priority areas should cover cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and mental health.
Jankovic
Slavenka
S
Institute of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade Serbia and Montenegro. slavenka@eunet.yu
Vlajinac
Hristina
H
Bjegovic
Vesna
V
Marinkovic
Jelena
J
Sipetic-Grujicic
Sandra
S
Markovic-Denic
Ljiljana
L
Kocev
Nikola
N
Santric-Milicevic
Milena
M
Terzic-Supic
Zorica
Z
Maksimovic
Natasa
N
Laaser
Ulrich
U
D017281:Cost of Illness; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012737:Sex Factors; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000453:epidemiology