Disability weights for comorbidity and their influence on health-adjusted life expectancy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Comorbidity complicates estimations of health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) using disease prevalences and disability weights from Burden of Disease studies. Usually, the exact amount of comorbidity is unknown and no disability weights are defined for comorbidity.

Methods

Using data of the Dutch national burden of disease study, the effects of different methods to adjust for comorbidity on HALE calculations are estimated. The default multiplicative adjustment method to define disability weights for comorbidity is compared to HALE estimates without adjustment for comorbidity and to HALE estimates in which the amount of disability in patients with multiple diseases is solely determined by the disease that leads to most disability (the maximum adjustment method). To

SUBMITTER: van Baal PH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1523368 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature