THERE has been an increase in ill health experienced by Australians for the first time in two decades, according to a new report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2022 measures the years of healthy life lost by Australians, by converting the impact of diseases and injuries to "disability-adjusted life years".
AIHW spokesperson Richard Juckes said it was the first time the study had reflected the impact of COVID-19, which was one of the leading causes of health burden.
In 2022 just under half of the harm done by diseases and other causes of ill health came from dying prematurely (48% of the total burden), while the remainder was from the consequences of living in poor health, Juckes said.
All cancers as a group of diseases caused the most burden (17%), followed by musculoskeletal conditions (13%), cardiovascular diseases (12%) & mental disorders (12%).
The top five individual diseases that caused burden were coronary heart disease (5.5%), dementia (4.4%), back pain (4.2%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.7%) and anxiety disorders (2.9%), while COVID-19 ranked eighth among specific diseases - aihw.gov.au.
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