The First Burden of Disease Study in Syria

 This preliminary study has provided a first assessment of the health status and the total Burden of Disease (BoD) of the Syrian population through combined estimates of the contribution of premature deaths and of living with disease and disability (so called Disability Adjusted Life Years or DALYs).

Life expectancy at birth in Syria 2005 was 72.00 years which is a big improvement compared to only 56 years in 1970. Infectious diseases together with conditions related to pregnancy and newborns (group I) account for about 12% of death but 72% are due to chronic diseases mainly heart disease, stroke and cancer (group II). Road traffic accidents and other injuries (group III) are especially frequent among younger males (7%). If in addition to premature deaths the reduced quality of life of diseased or disabled persons in terms of DALYs is taken into account, the share of group I and group III increases to roughly 25 and 15% respectively. Almost half of the total burden of disease occurs for both, males and females, in the productive ages (15-64). Cardiovascular diseases, unintentional injuries, cancers, neonatal conditions, acute respiratory infections, mental disorders, infectious and parasitic diseases and congenital anomalies take the highest ranks.

Future studies should determine the BoD attributable to socio-economic disadvantage and to regional differences. Also the relative cost-effectiveness of medical and other health interventions should be investigated according to their impact on the BoD. However, conditional is a further improvement of vital statistics by minimizing the unclassified causes of death and a National Health Examination Survey to learn more about the disease and risk factor patterns in Syria.