Determination of Burden of Common Diseases in East Azerbaijan, 2007

Measurement of level and distribution of the health and also the related factors is necessary for policy making and planning in health system. World health organization (WHO) invented the summary measures of health and global burden of diseases framework for measurement of health level and health problems in all countries. This study was aimed at determining the burden of common diseases in East Azerbaijan province. In accordance with WHO multidisciplinary GBD (global burden of disease) framework, DALY (disability adjusted life years) was used for calculation of the burden of diseases. For calculation of Years of Life Lost (YLL), result of 2006 population census and death registries of 2007 were used. Years lost due to Disability (YLD) were obtained from data of national burden of diseases project in 2002. In 2007, the DALY was 739266 years, of which 274530 years were due to premature deaths and 464736 years due to disabilities. In both genders, ischemic heart disease formed 9.16% of the DALY, car accidents 7.57%, cerebrovascular accident 4.39%, and depression 4.15%. Moreover, 5.78% of myocardial infarction deaths occurred under 40 years. Cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders and accidents formed most of the burdens of diseases in East Azerbaijan.