People across the world living longer but spending more time in poor health

People globally are living on average six years longer than they did 25 years ago, however they are living longer with illness and disability, according to a new study.

The research carried out by an international consortium of researchers working on the Global Burden of Disease project and led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, found that since 1990, the number of people who suffered from 10 or more ailments increased by 52 per cent in developed countries.

IHME director, Dr Christopher Murray, said: “What ails you isn’t necessarily what kills you. As nonfatal illnesses and related ailments affect more people of all ages, countries must look closely at health policies and spending to target these conditions.”

Japan is the country with the highest healthy life expectancy, followed by Singapore, Andorra, Iceland and Cyprus. However in some countries, such as South Africa, Paraguay, and Belarus, healthy life expectancy has actually dropped since 1990.

Life expectancy in British women rose by 1.6 years from 81.2 in 2005 to 82.8 in 2013, while average life expectancy for British men rose from 76.8 in 2005 to 79.1 in 2013 – an increase of 2.3 years.

Researchers also found that in every country, back pain and depression are among the leading causes of years lived with disability, while mental and substance abuse disorders cause one-fifth of disabling conditions.

Other leading causes for people living for years with a disability globally included neck pain, anxiety disorders, migraine headaches, and diabetes. The leading causes have remained largely the same during this period, but they are taking an increased toll on health due to population growth and ageing.

Professor Theo Vos of IHME, the study’s lead author, added: “Many countries around the world have made great progress in addressing fatal diseases, but nonfatal illnesses pose the next major threat in terms of disease burden. This need to meet the challenge of nonfatal diseases and injuries only becomes more urgent as the population increases and people live longer.”

To read the report go to http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/global-regional-and-national-incidence-prevalence-and-years-lived-disability-2013.