Verlorene Lebensjahre: Bekanntes und Neues zur Methodik am Beispiel der häufigsten Todesursachen in Deutschland

Translated title of the contribution: Years of life lost: known methods and a refined approach using the example of the most frequent causes of death in Germany

Joachim Hübner*, Johann Mattutat, Alexander Katalinic

*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

Background: Years of life lost (YLL) is a meaningful indicator of the relevance of causes of death, although it is rarely used in Germany. Numerous methods have been developed to calculate YLL. Objective: Prototypical methods for calculating YLL are presented and critically appraised. An improved method is proposed that is based on cause-elimination life tables (CELTs). Methods: The different methods are applied to deaths in Germany in 2018. Changes in comparison to 1998 are presented using the modified method. Results: While in 2018 cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death by number of cases, cancer was responsible for most YLL. Different methods of calculating YLL lead to divergent ranks for less frequent causes of death. YLL on the basis of general life tables underestimate CELT-based YLL by up to 18.4% (cardiovascular diseases). Measured by CELT-based YLL, cardiovascular diseases were the most important cause of death in 1998. Conclusion: The calculation of YLL on the basis of CELTs avoids inconsistencies of established methods and leads to relevantly different results. Characteristics of the proposed method (violation of the egalitarian principle, lack of additivity) do not affect its usefulness as a tool for health planning.

Translated title of the contributionYears of life lost: known methods and a refined approach using the example of the most frequent causes of death in Germany
Original languageGerman
JournalBundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz
Volume64
Issue number11
Pages (from-to)1463-1472
Number of pages10
ISSN1436-9990
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11.2021

Research Areas and Centers

  • Research Area: Center for Population Medicine and Public Health (ZBV)

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