Late in 2012, the Lancet published the results of its 2010 Global Burden of Disease study.
The material is free to non-subscribers, and is introduced in a short podcast.
Introducing the material, Lancet editor Dr Richard Horton highlights some of the main findings:
- The study shows an overall picture of good news – since the first Global Burden of Disease study in the 1990s, longevity has increased in most parts of the world
- However the number of people living with a chronic illness has increased
- AIDS remains a significant threat, with 1.5million people killed by the disease in 2010
- Healthcare workers may have overlooked the needs of young adults, whose high risk of illness often goes unregarded
- The incidence of breast cancer has increased from around 600,000 cases in the 90s to 1.6 million in 2010. Horton says that diseases with these large increases call for a completely different approach to the one being pursued at the moment.
