The State of US Health findings from the global burden of disease study

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) measures the world’s health problems, including in all 50 of the United States and Washington, D.C., from 1990 through 2016. It is the most comprehensive and comparable

study on Us health to date, tracking 400+ diseases, injuries, and risk factors. It complements the research done by state health departments and the CDC, and is used by the US National Institutes of Health to decide where to invest research funding. The study is coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Health is more than life or deathGBD measures years lost due to death and disability – diseases or injuries that hurt us, but do not necessarily kill us.

Addressing disability has proven difficultWhile treatments for many leading causes of death have improved since 1990, we have been less successful at treating disability, which poses an ever-increasing threat to our nation’s health.

healthdata.org/us-health

Addressing disability is expensive

Low back pain, years lived with disability

Ischemic heart disease,years of life lost

Leading causes of early death and disability in the US, 2016*

1 Ischemic heart disease2 Lung cancer3 COPD4 Diabetes5 Low back pain

6 Alzheimer’s disease7 Opioid use disorders8 Other musculoskeletal9 Major depression10 Migraine

Opioid use was the cause of early death and disability with the largest increase – up 35*% – between 1990 and 2016.

Opioid use rank 1990

11th

Opioid use rank 2016

7th

Eight of the top 10 most expensive health conditions in the US cause more disability than deaths.The most expensive health condition in the US is diabetes – mostly due to the high cost of medications used to treat it.

up 35%

Diabetes spending rose 6% annually from $37 billion in 1996 to 2013 $101 billion in 2013. Nearly 70% of the increase was due to pharmaceutical spending.

in billions of US dollars

$0 $20 $40 $60 $80 $100 $120

Pregnancy and postpartum careSkin diseasesVision and hearing lossOral disordersDepressionFallsHigh blood pressureLow back and neck painIschemic heart diseaseDiabetes mellitus1

23456789

6.10%

0.20%

6.50%

5.10%

3.00%

3.40%

2.90%

2.80%

3.50%

2.90%

Annual rate of change, 1996 - 2013

101.40B

88.10B

87.60B

83.90B

76.30B

71.10B

66.40B

59.00B

55.70B

55.60B10

*All-ages rate

Opioid use up

*All-ages rate

*Age-standardized

YLLs

per

100

,000

*

020161990

500

1.5k

2.5k

3k

1k

2k

YLD

s per

100

,000

*

0

400

600

800

20161990

200

AKAZ

UT

NV

CA

NM

OR

WA

WYID

MT ND

SD

NE

COKS

OK

TX

MN

IA

MO

AR

LA

WIMI

IL IN

KYTN

MS AL GA

FL

SC

NC

VA

OH

WVPA

NY

ME

NH

VT

MACT

MD

RI

DE

NJ

DC

HI

healthdata.org/us-health

Risk factors affecting health in the USMuch of the poor health experienced by Americans is driven by risk factors, such as poor diet, high blood pressure, or smoking.

Six risk factors each accounted for more than 5% of deaths and disabilities in the US in 2016:

1 Tobacco use 2 Obesity and overweight3 Poor diet4 Alcohol and drug use 5 High blood sugar 6 High blood pressure

Health inequality in the USLife expectancy for children born in different states in 2016 differs by as much as 6.6 years.

About IHMEIHME is an independent health research center at the University of Washington in Seattle. It is a leading health metrics organization in the world. Its work includes studies of US health spending, health in all 3,142 US counties, future health scenarios, and a pilot effort to map health at the census tract level. IHME plans to expand its US research in the future. Results from IHME research are made freely available to the public.

For more information, contact:

Katie Leach-KemonPolicy Translation Managerkatielk@uw.edu+1-206-897-2839

How can we improve health in the US?We should prevent health problems by reducing risks and helping all Americans experience improved health.

Reduce risks

Adopt national and local plans to incentivize health systems, providers, individuals, and communities to reduce leading risk factors, including tobacco use, obesity, and poor diet.

Help those falling behind

Expand access to quality care and address the social determinants of health by supporting national, state, and community programs to improve health – especially in the 21 states where adults are now worse off than they were in 1990.

Adults in some places are falling behind

12%12%11%10%

9%8%

Hawaii 81.3HIGHEST

Mississippi 74.7LOWEST 78.9AVERAGE

Life expectancy in the US in years

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Probability of dying between ages 20 and 55

Decreased from 1990 to 2016Increased from 1990 to 2016Increased more than 10% from 1990 to 2016

US