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.

Keywords: Cause-eliminated life expectancy; Disease burden; Global Burden of Disease Study; Loss of life expectancy; Population ageing; Respiratory infectious diseases.

Fig. 1

Global cause-specific mortality of 21 major types of diseases in 2017. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 2

Mortality from RID by country and territory in 2017 (per 100,000 persons). ATG Antigua and Barbuda, VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BRB Barbados, COM Comoros, DMA Dominica, GRD Grenada, MDV Maldives, MUS Mauritius, LCA Saint Lucia, TTO Trinidad and Tobago, TLS Timor-Leste, SYC Seychelles, MLT Malta, SGP Singapore, MHL Marshall Islands, KIR Kiribati, SLB Solomon Islands, FSM Federated States of Micronesia, VUT Vanuatu, WSM Samoa, FJI Fiji, TON Tonga. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 3

Trends in cause-specific mortality of four types of RID, 1990–2017. HIC high income countries/territories, UMIC upper-middle income countries/territories, LMIC lower-middle income countries/territories, LIC low income countries/territories. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 4

Loss of LE due to RID at birth by country and territory in 1990. ATG Antigua and Barbuda, VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BRB Barbados, COM Comoros, DMA Dominica, GRD Grenada, MDV Maldives, MUS Mauritius, LCA Saint Lucia, TTO Trinidad and Tobago, TLS Timor-Leste, SYC Seychelles, MLT Malta, SGP Singapore, MHL Marshall Islands, KIR Kiribati, SLB Solomon Islands, FSM Federated States of Micronesia, VUT Vanuatu, WSM Samoa, FJI Fiji, TON Tonga. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 5

Loss of LE due to RID at birth by country and territory in 2017. ATG Antigua and Barbuda, VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BRB Barbados, COM Comoros, DMA Dominica, GRD Grenada, MDV Maldives, MUS Mauritius, LCA Saint Lucia, TTO Trinidad and Tobago, TLS Timor-Leste, SYC Seychelles, MLT Malta, SGP Singapore, MHL Marshall Islands, KIR Kiribati, SLB Solomon Islands, FSM Federated States of Micronesia, VUT Vanuatu, WSM Samoa, FJI Fiji, TON Tonga. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 6

Loss of LE due to RID and GDP Per Capita for 195 countries/territories in 1990 and 2017. The value of GDP per capita is adjusted based on the US dollar in 2020; the fitted line is estimated based on the fractional polynomial regression method. Data source: World Bank and Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 7

Changes in loss of LE due to RID at birth ($e_{0,2017}^L-e_{0,1990}^L$) by country and territory (1990–2017). ATG Antigua and Barbuda, VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BRB Barbados, COM Comoros, DMA Dominica, GRD Grenada, MDV Maldives, MUS Mauritius, LCA Saint Lucia, TTO Trinidad and Tobago, TLS Timor-Leste, SYC Seychelles, MLT Malta, SGP Singapore, MHL Marshall Islands, KIR Kiribati, SLB Solomon Islands, FSM Federated States of Micronesia, VUT Vanuatu, WSM Samoa, FJI Fiji, TON Tonga. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)

Fig. 8

Changes in loss of LE due to RID at birth (%) [($e_{0,2017}^L-e_{0,1990}^L$)/$e_{0,1990}^L$] by country and territory (1990–2017). ATG Antigua and Barbuda, VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BRB Barbados, COM Comoros, DMA Dominica, GRD Grenada, MDV Maldives, MUS Mauritius, LCA Saint Lucia, TTO Trinidad and Tobago, TLS Timor-Leste, SYC Seychelles, MLT Malta, SGP Singapore, MHL Marshall Islands, KIR Kiribati, SLB Solomon Islands, FSM Federated States of Micronesia, VUT Vanuatu, WSM Samoa, FJI Fiji, TON Tonga. Data source: Global Burden of Disease Study (2017)