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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Measuring Health and Disease

Burden of disease

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

nounCommon term

In public health & epidemiology, burden of disease means: The total impact of a disease or health problem on a population, measured by deaths, illness, disability and sometimes economic cost.

In Turkish: hastalık yükü

How it is used

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study compares conditions and risk factors across countries using DALYs. People speak of a high or growing burden, the burden of mental illness and reducing the disease burden.

Example sentences

  1. Depression accounts for a large share of the burden of disease among young adults.

  2. The report estimates the burden of disease caused by air pollution in each province.

Common collocations

  • global burden of disease
  • disease burden
  • high burden
  • reduce the burden
  • DALYShort for disability-adjusted life year: one year of healthy life lost, either through early death or through living with illness or disability.
  • morbidityThe state of being ill or having a disease, or the amount of illness in a population, as opposed to mortality, which refers to death.
  • noncommunicable diseaseA long-lasting illness that is not passed from person to person, such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease or diabetes.
  • mortality rateThe number of deaths in a population during a period, divided by the size of that population, often given per 1,000 or 100,000 people per year.

More terms: Measuring Health and Disease

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.