Global Burden

In medical and public health contexts, global burden refers to the total impact of a disease or risk factor on the world's population. It is typically measured in terms of:

Mortality: total number of deaths.

Morbidity: impact on quality of life and functional status.

Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs): a composite measure that includes:

Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to premature death.

Years Lived with Disability (YLD) due to illness or impairment.

🧾 Formal Definition: Global burden is the cumulative cost of disease—in lives lost, years lived with disability, and economic/social disruption—at a population level, across all countries and regions.

🧠 Example (Stroke): If stroke causes 12 million deaths and 116 million DALYs globally per year, its global burden includes:

Direct deaths,

Time people live with paralysis or aphasia,

Healthcare costs and caregiver burden.