Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators, Cecilia Anza-Ramirez, J. Jaime Miranda, Benedetta Armocida, Jorge César Correia, Harriette Gillian Christine Van Spall, David Beran, Amirali Aali, Kalkidan Hassen Abate, Semagn Mekonnen Abate, Cristiana Abbafati, Mohsen Abbasi-Kangevari, Zeinab Abbasi-Kangevari, Hedayat Abbastabar, Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem, Michael Abdelmasseh, Sherief Abd-Elsalam, Ahmed Abdelwahab, Gholamreza Abdoli, Mohammad Abdollahi, Meriem Abdoun, Deldar Morad Abdulah, Abu Yousuf Md Abdullah, Ame Mehadi Abdurehman, Getachew Abebe, Aidin Abedi, Vida Abedi, Hassan Abidi, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Hassan Abolhassani, Lucas Guimarães Abreu, Michael R. M. Abrigo, Yonas Derso Abtew, Hiwa Abubaker Ali, Eman Abu-Gharbieh, Ahmed Abu-Zaid, Manfred Mario Kokou Accrombessi, Juan Manuel Acuna, Denberu Eshetie Adane, Tigist Demssew Adane, Isaac Yeboah Addo, Giovanni Addolorato, Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo, Victor Adekanmbi, Miracle Ayomikun Adesina, Olatunji O. Adetokunboh, Daniel Adedayo Adeyinka, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika Afolabi, Muhammad Sohail Afzal, Saira Afzal, Gina Agarwal, Prerna Agarwal, Pradyumna Agasthi, Anurag Agrawal, Marcela Agudelo-Botero, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, Aqeel Ahmad, Sajjad Ahmad, Sohail Ahmad, Tauseef Ahmad, Ali Ahmadi, Keivan Ahmadi, Sepideh Ahmadi, Ali Ahmed, Ayman Ahmed, Haroon Ahmed, Jivan Qasim Ahmed, Luai A. Ahmed, Janardhana P. Aithala, Marjan Ajami, Budi Aji, Hossein Akbarialiabad, Yibeltal Akelew, Meisam Akhlaghdoust, Addis Aklilu, Maxwell Akonde, Hanadi Al Hamad, Fares Alahdab, Ziyad Al-Aly, Khurshid Alam, Manjurul Alam, Nazmul Alam, Samiah Alam, Fahad Mashhour Alanezi, Turki M. Alanzi, Jacqueline Elizabeth Alcalde-Rabanal, Astawus Alemayehu, Birhanu Alamirew Alamirew Alemu, Kefyalew Addis Alene, Abdelazeem M. Algammal, Khalid F. Alhabib, Noora Alhajri, Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi, Robert Kaba Alhassan, Liaqat Ali, Muhammad Ali, Syed Shujait Ali, Shohreh Alian Samakkhah, Gianfranco Alicandro
Abstract
Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly. Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.