Chronic Disease: An Economic Perspective

Marc Suhrcke, WHO Regional Office for Europe (Venice, Italy)
Rachel A. Nugent, director of health and economics at the Population Reference Bureau.
David Stuckler, working with OxHA members and the WHO on issues pertaining to the global governance of chronic diseases.
Lorenzo Rocco, assistant professor of economics with the University of Padova in Italy.
London: Oxford Health Alliance

Web site: http://www.oxha.org/initiatives/economics/chronic-disease-an-economic-perspective

PDF [60p.] at: http://www.oxha.org/initiatives/economics/knowledge/publications/oxha-chronic-disease-an-economic-perspective.pdf
“…..Chronic diseases account for the greatest share of early death and disability worldwide. Over the next few decades this burden is projected to rise particularly fast in the developing world. The lack of research on the economic implications of chronic disease contrasts with the available knowledge on the sheer epidemiological burden of the problem. This paper assesses and evaluates the current state of knowledge, with a primary focus on low- and middle-income countries, and a secondary focus on high-income countries (where information on the former is lacking). Very few such attempts have been undertaken, especially with an interest in developing countries. Thus a critical review of the available evidence is a necessary first step in exploring the case for governments and donors to invest in chronic disease prevention and in clarifying areas in which further research is required.

As the evidence is complex, the report should meet the needs of technical audiences for whom detailed knowledge is central as well as be accessible and useful to those for whom synthesised understandings are sufficient….”

Content
Executive summary
1 Introduction
2 The distribution of chronic disease by wealth and age
3 Economic consequences of chronic disease
4 The economic rationale for public-policy intervention against chronic disease
5 Cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent chronic diseases
5.1 What is cost-effectiveness?
5.2 Barriers to measuring cost-effectiveness
5.3 Gathering information about intervention cost-effectiveness
5.4 Cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent chronic diseases
5.5 Conclusions
6 Further research needs and concluding remarks