Burden of ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases in Serbia without Kosovo and Metohia, 2000.
BACKGROUND
To provide estimates of cardiovascular disease burden to guide future health strategies and interventions and enable improvements in health and performance of the health care system to be monitored.


METHODS
A descriptive study.


METHODS
The study was performed in Serbia without Kosovo and Metohia for the year 2000. Disability-adjusted life years (DALY) was used to provide a comprehensive assessment of premature mortality (years of life lost; YLL) and disability attributable (years lived with disability; YLD) to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebrovascular diseases, and to estimate the attributable and avoidable burden of these diseases caused by smoking, hypertension, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and an inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables.


RESULTS
IHD was responsible for 150 889 DALY (16.28/1000 population), and cerebrovascular diseases were responsible for 136 090 DALY (14.49/1000 population). There were considerably more YLL for both IHD and stroke than YLD. For both diseases DALY rates increased with ageing in men and women. The risk factors most responsible for IHD and stroke burden were smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension and overweight/obesity. Sex and age differences were present in the burden attributable to various risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite limitations the DALY estimates represent a useful measure of the size of the health problem. The DALY and related estimates for cardiovascular disease can be used as a guide for the prevention of IHD and stroke as well as the evaluation of future health gains by reducing population exposure to lifestyle and related risk factors.
Vlajinac
Hristina
H
Institute of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Belgrade University, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.
Sipetic
Sandra
S
Saulic
Anka
A
Atanackovic
Zorica
Z
Marinković
Jelena
J
Bjegovic
Vesna
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000453:epidemiology