The reduction of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) is a measure of the disease burden. The so-called DALY reduction refers to the loss of life years or the reduction of capable life years. By calculating DALY, we can estimate the relative importance of diseases and the overall burden of diseases on society, as well as evaluate the cost-effectiveness of intervention measures and consider the rational allocation of health resources.
The disease burden is measured by DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Year), which means all healthy life years lost from the onset of disease to death. It consists of two parts, one is the years of life lost in preparation for death due to premature death, and the other is the years of life lost due to disability. The similarity between disability and premature death lies in reducing people's healthy life span to varying degrees, and people's life span is measured by time (years). Therefore, DALY comprehensively considers two kinds of health losses, disability and death, and gives them information of social value orientation, thus expressing the influence of diseases on people's health more comprehensively and reasonably, and providing a more scientific and reliable basis for determining major social health problems.