The Contributions of Diseases to Disability Burden among the Elderly Population in China: Empirical Evidence for Health Policy Priorities

BACKGROUND The disabled elderly, who utilize more health services than their counterparts, put a heavy pressure on the health system. However, our knowledge of the disease pattern in disability burden among the Chinese elderly remains limited.

METHODS Based on a nationally representative data, we used the attribution method to obtain disability prevalence by disease and then employed the Sullivan method to produce life expectancy with disability (LED) by disease. The analyses were carried out at both disease group level and individual disease level.

RESULTS At the disease group level, ear, eye, circulatory and musculoskeletal diseases and injury and poisoning were the 5 leading causes of disability burden in terms of their contributions to disability prevalence and LED. At the individual disease level, presbycusis, cataract, cerebrovascular disease, osteoarthritis and unclassified injury totally accounted for 64% of disabilities and caused males and females aged 60 to have 3.04 and 3.76 years of LED, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS Along with the epidemiologic transition, chronic diseases have become the predominant contributor to disability burden among the elderly population in China. And, presbycusis, cataract, cerebrovascular disease, osteoarthritis and unclassified injuries should be the priorities in fighting ag