title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the Disability Adjusted Life Years in northern Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The DALY measure represents a new tool for improving the capacity of local health unit to assess population health needs and priorities. Our study aimed to increase the validity of the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), by incorporating local estimates of the disease incidence and applying population-specific disability weights.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective cohort study enrolling subjects aged 45+ years, first-time admitted to the hospital with principal diagnosis of 490-492, 496 ICD IX-CM codes and followed for one year to evaluate the vital status. A subset was administered the Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire to estimate the distribution of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Estimates of total DALY (per 1000) for COPD varied between 2.1 to 3.4 years among men and between 1.0 to 2.3 years among women; percentages of years of life lost due to a premature mortality were between 60 and 70%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DALY represents a new tool for improving the capacity to assess population health needs and priorities. Policy makers owning such a further element of evaluation may be better oriented in allocating resources for COPD among the different health care chapters: prevention, emergency, chronicity and rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: National Council Research, Padua, Italy. nadia.minicuci@unipd.it
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minicuci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benacchio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noale
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Campigotto
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masiero
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bovo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olivieri
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors