What is meant by burden of disease and how is it quantified?

• A. The overall impact of illness and injury on a population, quantified by DALYs (YLL + YLD)
• B. The total number of hospital admissions
• C. The average age of death
• D. The rate of vaccination coverage

Answer: (A)

Burden of disease is the total health loss a population experiences from both fatal and non-fatal health problems. It is quantified with disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which combine years of life lost due to premature death (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD). YLL measures how many years of potential life are lost when people die earlier than a standard life expectancy, while YLD accounts for the time lived with illness or disability, weighted by how severe the condition is and how long it lasts. Adding YLL and YLD gives DALYs, providing a single metric to compare the overall impact of different diseases and injuries and to guide health priorities and planning. This approach captures more than just mortality or hospital metrics—it reflects both early deaths and the burden of living with illness.