Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of disease and injury in Iran for the year 2003, using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) at the national level.
Methods: Methods developed by the World Health Organization for National Burden of Disease (NBD) studies were ap­plied to estimate disease and injury incidence for the calculation of Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality (YLL), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and DALYs. The following adjustments of the NBD methodology were made in this study: a revised list with 214 disease and injury causes, development of new and more specific disease modeling templates for cancers and injuries, and adjustment for dependent co morbidity.
Results: We estimated that in the year 2003, there were 21,572 DALYs due to all diseases and injuries per 100,000 Iranian people of all ages and both sexes, 62% were due to disability premature deaths (YLD) and 38% were due to premature deaths (YLL); 58% were due to non communicable diseases, 28% - to injuries, and 14% - to communicable, maternal, peri­natal, and nutritional conditions. Fifty-three percent of the total number of 14.349 million DALYs in Iran were in males and 47% of DALYs were in females. The disease and injury causes leading to the highest number of DALYs in males were road traffic accidents, and in females were ischemic heart disease.
Conclusions: The health and disease profile in Iran has made the transition from the dominance of communicable diseases to that of noncommunicable diseases and road traffic injuries. NBD results are to be used in health program planning, re­search, and resource allocation generation policies and practices.