National mortality burden due to communicable, non-communicable, and other diseases in Ethiopia, 1990–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Abstract

BackgroundEthiopia lacks a complete vital registration system that would assist in measuring disease burden and risk factors. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) estimates to describe the mortality burden from communicable, non-communicable, and other diseases in Ethiopia over the last 25 years.MethodsGBD 2015 mainly used cause of death ensemble modeling to measure causes of death by age, sex, and year for 195 countries. We report numbers of deaths and rates of years of life lost (YLL) for communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) disorders, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and injuries with 95% uncertainty intervals (UI) for Ethiopia from 1990 to 2015.ResultsCMNN causes of death have declined by 65% in the last two-and-a-half decades. Injury-related causes of death have also decreased by 70%. Deaths due to NCDs declined by 37% during the same period. Ethiopia showed a faster decline in the burden of four out of the five leading causes of age-standardized premature mortality rates when compared to the overall sub-Saharan African region and the Eastern sub-Saharan African region: lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and diarrheal diseases; however, the same could not be said for ischemic heart disease and other NCDs. Non-communicable diseases, together, were the leading causes of age-standardized mortality rates, whereas CMNN diseases were leading causes of premature mortality in 2015. Although lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and diarrheal disease were the leading causes of age-standardized death rates, they showed major declines from 1990 to 2015. Neonatal encephalopathy, iron-deficiency anemia, protein-energy malnutrition, and preterm birth complications also showed more than a 50% reduction in burden. HIV/AIDS-related deaths have also decreased by 70% since 2005. Ischemic heart disease, hemorrhagic stroke, and ischemic stroke were among the top causes of premature mortality and age-standardized death rates in Ethiopia in 2015.ConclusionsEthiopia has been successful in reducing deaths related to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional deficiency diseases and injuries by 65%, despite unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. However, the country’s performance regarding non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease, was minimal, causing these diseases to join the leading causes of premature mortality and death rates in 2015. While the country is progressing toward universal health coverage, prevention and control strategies in Ethiopia should consider the double burden of common infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases: lower respiratory infections, diarrhea, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Prevention and control strategies should also pay special attention to the leading causes of premature mortality and death rates caused by non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular disease, cancer,...

Prevalence and risk factors of acute lower respiratory infection among children living in biomass fuel using households: a community-based cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia

“…In Ethiopia, lower respiratory infections were the leading cause of premature mortality across all ages in the year 2015 [5] and pneumonia, in particular, was the second most common cause of mortality in Northeast Ethiopia [6]. In addition, the 2016 EDHS report confirmed a countrywide ARI prevalence of 7% among children under 5 years old [7], and a number of cross-sectional studies conducted in different parts of the country reported an even higher prevalence of childhood ARI in Ethiopia which ranges from 16% up to 33.5% [8][9][10][11][12].…”

Prevalence of Hyperhomocysteinaemia and Associated Factors among Ethiopian Adult Population in a 2015 National Survey

“…e high prevalence of HHcy in the Ethiopian population is concerning and could in part explain the increased mortality and morbidity from NCDs in Ethiopia. Indeed, Misganaw et al [16] have recently shown that ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and diabetes are ranked 1 st , 6 th , and 8 th in the cause of age-standardized death for Ethiopia. While several lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity and smoking are often found to be associated with HHcy [23], these were not significant predictors of HHcy in this Ethiopian sample.…”

“…While Ethiopia has made a remarkable progress in reducing the burden of infectious disease, there is mounting evidence that chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes are on the rise [16]. HHcy could be associated with this rise in the burden on NCDs, but little is known about its prevalence and associated factors.…”

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Acute Oral Toxicity of Impatiens Tinctoria A. Rich Root

“…Severe infections, including sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia, are estimated to cause about a third of the 2.6 million neonatal deaths globally in which most of them are in less a uent regions of our planet (1). In Ethiopia, the top ve leading causes of premature mortality in 2015 were lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, ischemic heart disease, and Human Immunode ciency Virus/Acquired Immune De ciency Syndrome that indicates the dominant fatality of the infectious diseases (3).…”