Musculoskeletal disease toll rising in Australia
The conditions account for nearly 20% of years of life lost: analysis
Australia carries the biggest burden of musculoskeletal disease globally, according to an analysis of WHO data.
Almost 10% of disability-adjusted life years in Australia in 2015 were due to musculoskeletal diseases, the burden outstripping that of similar countries including Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, the study found.
Disability-adjusted life years combine the years lived with disability (YLDs) and the years of life lost (YLLs) through premature death.
French researchers analysed the impact of 23 different categories of disability in 183 countries drawn from the WHO Global Health Estimates database, from 2000 to 2015.
