To provide an assessment of the mortality burden in Serbia (excluding Kosovo and Metohia).
The study was undertaken using data for Serbia, excluding Kosovo and Metohia, for the year 2000. Years of life lost (YLL), the mortality component of disability-adjusted life years, was determined from the average life expectancy at each age of death while discounting future years by 3% per annum. YLL was calculated using life expectancy at that age based on standard life tables, with life expectancy at birth fixed at 82.5 years for females and 80.0 years for males.
Premature mortality was responsible for 814,022 YLL, after discounting future years at 3% per annum and weighting for age. Males lost 462,050 years and females lost 351,972 years. Cardiovascular diseases and cancers dominated the burden of premature mortality. Ischaemic heart disease was the leading single cause of YLL for males, followed by stroke, lung cancer, inflammatory heart disease, self-inflicted injuries, road traffic accidents, colorectal and stomach cancers, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Each contributed over 10,000 YLL. For females, cerebrovascular disease was the leading cause of YLL, followed by ischaemic heart disease, breast and lung cancer, and diabetes mellitus. YLL due to premature death gives greater weight to those conditions that affect younger people. Consequently, a ranking of diseases by YLL differs from a ranking based on unadjusted numbers of deaths. In comparison with data from the Global Burden of Disease study (2000) for the world population and the EURO-A region, the mortality burden in Serbia is closer to that in developed than developing countries. Standardization was performed using the direct method, with the world population used as the standard.
The national health priority areas, relevant to the mortality burden, should include cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes mellitus, self-inflicted injuries and road traffic accidents.