1262Burden of disease and injury in Australia

Abstract

Abstract Background Burden of disease describes the impact of living with and dying prematurely from different diseases or injuries. The Australian Burden of Disease Study (ABDS) 2018 estimated the health impact of 219 diseases and injuries on the Australian population. Methods Burden of disease measures years of healthy life lost from living with (non-fatal) and dying prematurely from (fatal) disease and injury. Fatal and non-fatal burden combined provides the total burden, measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALY). One DALY equals 1 year of healthy life lost. Disease burden was estimated for the years 2018, 2015, 2011 and 2003 for Australia. Results In 2018, 5.0 million years of healthy life were lost from disease and injury. Living with illness or injury caused more total disease burden than dying prematurely (52% vs 48%). Between 2003 and 2018, total burden decreased by 13%, driven by less premature deaths. Disease groups with the biggest absolute reductions in burden (DALY rate) were cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The five leading causes of burden were coronary heart disease, back pain, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Males experienced more burden than females for most age groups. Conclusions Overall burden of disease declined between 2003 and 2018, due to a large reduction in burden from dying prematurely. Living with the impact of chronic diseases contributed substantial burden in Australia in 2018. Key messages Living with illness or injury accounts for most of the disease burden in Australia. There have been improvements in fatal burden since 2003.