Lecture 15: Patterns of Disease Globally and Over Time

Question 1

What are communicable diseases?

Answer 1

A communicable disease is one that is spread from one person to another

Question 2

Give examples of communicable diseases

Answer 2

lower respiratory infections, diarrhoea diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, preterm birth complications and birth trauma

Question 3

What are non-communicable diseases?

Answer 3

disease that is not transmissible directly from one person to another

Question 4

Give examples of non-communicable disease

Answer 4

Parkinson’s disease, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, osteoarthritis

Question 5

In terms of communicable and non-communicable diseases, what were the top 10 global causes of deaths in 2016 and how does this compare to the top 10 global causes of deaths in 2000?

Answer 5

2016: 6 non-communicable diseases, 3 communicable disease, 1 injury
2000: 4 communicable diseases, 5 non-communicable diseases, 1 injury

Question 6

In terms of communicable and non-communicable diseases, what were the top 10 causes of deaths in low-income countries in 2016 and how does this compare to the top 10 causes of deaths in high income countries in 2016?

Answer 6

Low income countries: 7 communicable diseases, 2 non-communicable disease, 1 injury

High income countries: 9 non-communicable diseases, 1 communicable disease

Question 7

What do years of life lost (YLLs) measure?

What do they take into account?

Answer 7

The fatal health loss. It takes into account the number of deaths and the age at death

Question 8

What do years lived with disability (YLDs) measure?

Answer 8

the burden of living with a disease or disability in the amount of years

Question 9

What two components make up a DALY?

Answer 9

YLLs and YLDs

Question 10

What do disability-adjusted life years (DALY) measure?

What is it the sum of?

Answer 10

It is an integrated measure of health loss. It is the sum of years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs).

Question 11

What does one DALY represent?

Answer 11

the loss of one year of life lived in full health

Question 12

What can you measure if you add up DALYs?

Answer 12

the gap between current health status and ideal health status

Question 13

What does the demographic transition theory explain?

Answer 13

The changes in population death and birth rates over time, how total population is affected and how it changes overtime

Question 14

What does the epidemiological transition theory explain?

Answer 14

Changes in patterns of communicable and non-communicable disease overtime

Question 15

Describe how the demographic transition changes over time

Answer 15

Early on, the death rate decreases so the total population increases. Then the birth rate decreases so eventually the total population flattens out

Question 16

Describe how the epidemiologic transition changes over time

Answer 16

the incidence of communicable diseases falls rapidly but the incidence of non-communicable disease increases over time

Question 17

Why has the incidence of communicable disease fallen over time and the incidence of non-communicable disease has increased?

Answer 17

due to important public healthcare changes:

• sanitation
• removing waste (sewage systems)
• clean drinking water

Question 18

Why do we have an ageing population?

Answer 18

• because morbidity occurs later in life (ie. people are living longer)
• and people are not having kids/having less kids