Loss of life expectancy due to respiratory infectious diseases: findings from the global burden of disease study in 195 countries and territories 1990–2017

Abstract

Understanding of the patterns of and changes in mortality from respiratory infectious diseases (RID) and its contribution to loss of life expectancy (LE) is inadequate in the existing literature. With rapid sociodemographic changes globally, and the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely to revisit the disease burden of RID. Using the approaches of life table and cause-eliminated life table based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), the study analyses loss of LE due to RID in 195 countries/territories and its changes during the period 1990-2017. Results indicate that loss of LE due to RID stood at 1.29 years globally in 2017 globally and varied widely by age, gender, and geographic location, with men, elderly people, and populations in middle/low income countries/territories suffering a disproportionately high loss of LE due to RID. Additionally, loss of LE due to RID decreased remarkably by 0.97 years globally during the period 1990-2017 but increased slightly among populations older than 70 years and in many high income countries/territories. Results suggest that RID still pose a severe threat for population and public health, and that amid dramatic sociodemographic changes globally, the disease burden of RID may resurge. The study presents the first examination of the life-shortening effect of RID at the global and country/territory levels, providing new understanding of the changing disease burden of RID and shedding light on the potential consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Forecasting the transmission trends of respiratory infectious diseases with an exposure-risk-based model at the microscopic level

“…COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease (RID) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ( Zhang et al, 2022a , Zhang et al, 2022b ). RID poses a huge threat to the population and public health, and recent studies have found that the loss of life expectancy due to RID stood at 1.29 years in 2017 globally ( Huang and Guo, 2022 ). To live with the ongoing challenges by COVID-19 or the re-emergence of other respiratory viral infections, people must raise awareness and take measures for infection prevention and control in daily life ( Coccia, 2021 ; Zhu and Zhu, 2021 ).…”

Forecasting the Transmission Trends of Respiratory Infectious Diseases with an Exposure-Risk-Based Model at the Microscopic Level

“…COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease (RID) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Zhang et al, 2022a). RID poses a huge threat to the population and public health, and recent studies have found that the loss of life expectancy due to RID stood at 1.29 years in 2017 globally (Huang and Guo, 2021). To live with the ongoing challenges by COVID-19 or the re-emergence of other respiratory viral infections, people must raise awareness and take measures for infection prevention and control in daily life (Coccia, 2021;Zhu and Zhu, 2021).…”

Transparency in infectious disease research: a meta-research survey of specialty journals

“…The global burden of infectious disease has been large, with a higher share in less developed countries (1)(2)(3)(4). With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic the developed world was sensitized to the field with awakened interest and its funding and research output increased rapidly (5)(6)(7).…”

“…Infectious diseases are an important field in medicine, epidemiology, and public health across a spectrum that spans basic science, translational research, clinical and population-level applications. The global burden of infectious disease has been large, with a higher share in less developed countries(1–4). With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic the developed world was sensitized to the field with awakened interest and its funding and research output increased rapidly(5–7).…”