Burden of injuries in Nepal, 1990–2017: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Abstract

BackgroundNepal is a low-income country undergoing rapid political, economic and social development. To date, there has been little evidence published on the burden of injuries during this period of transition.MethodsThe Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is a comprehensive measurement of population health outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality. We analysed the GBD 2017 estimates for deaths, years of life lost, years lived with disability, incidence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from injuries to ascertain the burden of injuries in Nepal from 1990 to 2017.ResultsThere were 16 831 (95% uncertainty interval 13 323 to 20 579) deaths caused by injuries (9.21% of all-cause deaths (7.45% to 11.25%)) in 2017 while the proportion of deaths from injuries was 6.31% in 1990. Overall, the injury-specific age-standardised mortality rate declined from 88.91 (71.54 to 105.31) per 100 000 in 1990 to 70.25 (56.75 to 85.11) per 100 000 in 2017. In 2017, 4.11% (2.47% to 6.10%) of all deaths in Nepal were attributed to transport injuries, 3.54% (2.86% to 4.08%) were attributed to unintentional injuries and 1.55% (1.16% to 1.85%) were attributed to self-harm and interpersonal violence. From 1990 to 2017, road injuries, falls and self-harm all rose in rank for all causes of death.ConclusionsThe increase in injury-related deaths and DALYs in Nepal between 1990 and 2017 indicates the need for further research and prevention interventions. Injuries remain an important public health burden in Nepal with the magnitude and trend of burden varying over time by cause-specific, sex and age group. Findings from this study may be used by the federal, provincial and local governments in Nepal to prioritise injury prevention as a public health agenda and as evidence for country-specific interventions.

Diagnostic performance of the extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (EFAST) patients in a tertiary care hospital of Nepal

“…This gender difference is further illuminated by the higher rate of disability-adjusted life-years from transport injuries in males versus females. 25 A study conducted by Singh et al also demonstrated a male preponderance in RTC. 26 This could be due to the greater participation of males in outdoor and high-risk activities such as driving, construction work, heavy lifting, and so on, as compared with females.…”

Road traffic injuries in Nepal during COVID-19 lockdown

“…Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for the people aged 5–29 years worldwide ( World Health Organization, 2018 ). It is also the leading cause of death and disabilities among people aged between 15 and 49 years in Nepal ( Pant et al , 2020 ). Regardless of the figures, which may vary from source to source, we aim to highlight road safety measures and their importance for the essential-service vehicles during adversity.…”

The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation

“…The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study estimated that 16 831 people (95% uncertainty interval 13 323–20 579) died from injuries in Nepal in 2017. The proportion of all deaths due to injuries increased from 6.31% in 1990 to 9.2% in 2017 [ 4 ]. According to GBD estimates for Nepal, disability-adjusted life-years attributed to injuries increased from 881 452 (668 625–1 049 545) in 1990 to 897 969 (718 350–1 092 186) in 2017, including 715 602 (540 423–894 816) years of life lost due to injury [ 4 ].…”