The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income and middle-income countries.
This paper estimates the disease burden and loss of economic output associated with chronic diseases-mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes-in 23 selected countries which account for around 80% of the total burden of chronic disease mortality in developing countries. In these 23 selected low-income and middle-income countries, chronic diseases were responsible for 50% of the total disease burden in 2005. For 15 of the selected countries where death registration data are available, the estimated age-standardised death rates for chronic diseases in 2005 were 54% higher for men and 86% higher for women than those for men and women in high-income countries. If nothing is done to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, an estimated US$84 billion of economic production will be lost from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes alone in these 23 countries between 2006 and 2015. Achievement of a global goal for chronic disease prevention and control-an additional 2% yearly reduction in chronic disease death rates over the next 10 years-would avert 24 million deaths in these countries, and would save an estimated $8 billion, which is almost 10% of the projected loss in national income over the next 10 years.
Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Dele O
DO
Abegunde
Colin D
CD
Mathers
Taghreed
T
Adam
Monica
M
Ortegon
Kathleen
K
Strong
D017677:Age Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution