QALY losses for non-communicable diseases in Iranian adults: insights from a national cross-sectional study

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), constitute a major global public health challenge and represent the primary causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. This study aims to estimate Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) losses associated with six NCDs among Iranian adults.

This study quantified QALY losses associated with six NCDs, including asthma, ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and high cholesterol. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores were derived from EQ-5D-3 L questionnaire data collected in 2021 from a nationally representative sample of 27,576 participants. Morbidity prevalence was obtained from the same survey, while mortality data were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Total QALY loss for each condition was calculated by summing losses attributable to both morbidity and mortality.

Women experienced a greater decline in HRQoL than men across all conditions. The highest disutilities were observed for stroke, IHD, and asthma in women, and for stroke, asthma, and IHD in men. The highest QALY losses were associated with hypertension (1,399,097), IHD (1,123,053), and high cholesterol (749,136). Diabetes mellitus accounted for 428,163 QALYs lost followed by Stroke (373,365) and asthma (215,498).

Given the substantial health burden posed by NCDs, there is an urgent need for prevention and management strategies that are both evidence-based and gender-sensitive. Strengthening national policies aimed at reducing the NCDs burden will not only enhance population health outcomes but also generate significant economic returns.