The State of Health in Belgium, 1990–2019: A Benchmarking Analysis Based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study

Abstract BackgroundIn spite of high health expenditures and several reforms, Belgian healthcare system shows unsatisfactory health outcomes. Evidence-based decision-making is essential in a context of decreasing resources and growing health needs. This study aims to assess the health trends in Belgium between 1990 and 2019, to compare the Belgian health status to that of the EU-15 countries, and to identify the main drivers in trends over time and country differences within the EU-15.MethodsWe extracted estimates from the GBD 2019 study via the GBD results tool and visualization tools. We compared the Belgian health status with 14 European Union comparator countries between 1990 and 2019. Results Life expectancy (LE) in Belgium improved significantly between 1900 and 2019 for both men and women. Belgium Age-standardised (AS) mortality dropped significantly for men (-40%) and women (-33%) between 1990 and 2019. Belgium performed significantly better in 2019 than in 1990 in terms of AS Year of Life Lost (YLL) rates. The main contributors to the significant premature mortality decrease were ischemic heart disease, lung cancer and road injuries in men; ischemic heart disease, stroke and breast cancer in women. AS Years lived with disability (YLD) did not significantly differ between 1990 and 2019. Overall, Belgium AS Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) rates dropped by 23%. This decrease is mainly due to decreasing trend in YLL rates while YLDs rates remained stable. Compared to EU-15, Belgium ranking worsened in terms of AS DALY rates for both men and women in 2019. The main contributors for AS DALY rates were ischemic heart disease, lung cancer and self-harm in men; headache disorders, low back pain and gynaecological disorders in women.ConclusionNon-communicable diseases are the main contributors for health burden in Belgium since 1990. Despite the considerable improvement, Belgium’s ranking for DALYs decreased between 1990 and 2019 compared to the EU-15. Primary and secondary prevention could be crucial elements to improve patient health outcomes and reduce their burden on the healthcare system.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Nonfasting triglycerides and risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, and death in men and women.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1098146.554141 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Zecharia Madar

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Ischemic Heart Disease ◽

Ischemic Heart ◽

Men And Women

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Gender Differences in the Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease According to Healthcare Utilization and Medication Adherence among Newly Treated Korean Hypertensive Patients

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18031274 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1274

Author(s):

Jiae Shin ◽

Dongwoo Ham ◽

Hee Young Paik ◽

Sangah Shin ◽

Hyojee Joung

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Medication Adherence ◽

Ischemic Heart Disease ◽

Healthcare Utilization ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Ischemic Heart ◽

Health Examination ◽

Men And Women ◽

Hypertensive Patients

We aimed to investigate gender differences in ischemic heart disease (IHD) according to healthcare utilization and medication adherence among newly treated Korean hypertensive adults. The National Sample Cohort version 2.0 of the National Health Insurance Service was used for analysis. Newly treated hypertensive patients ≥ 20 years and without IHD in 2002 were selected from a population that underwent health examination during 2003–2006. Of those patients, 11,942 men and 11,193 women were analyzed and followed up for 10 years. We determined the association between IHD and healthcare utilization and medication adherence using the Cox proportional hazards model. Hypertensive women patients had a lower risk of IHD than men patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88–1.00). The IHD risk was increased in patients who visited healthcare providers > 12 times/person-year (HR = 2.97, 95% CI 2.79–3.17), paid high out-of-pocket expense/person-year (HR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.41–1.69), and had medication nonadherence (HR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.58–1.77). However, the risk was decreased in patients who used both urban and rural areas (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.67–0.84) and mixed types of providers (HR = 0.93, CI 0.88–0.99). The risk of IHD was significantly different between men and women only in the visiting frequency to healthcare providers (men, HR = 3.21, 95% CI 2.93–3.52; women, HR = 2.78, 95% CI 2.53–3.04, p for interaction = 0.0188). In summary, the risk of IHD was similar according to healthcare utilization and medication adherence between men and women, except visiting frequency to healthcare providers.

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Peanut Consumption and Risk of Stroke and Ischemic Heart Disease in Japanese Men and Women: The JPHC Study

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.120.031212 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Satoyo Ikehara ◽

Hiroyasu Iso ◽

Yoshihiro Kokubo ◽

Kazumasa Yamagishi ◽

Isao Saito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Ischemic Heart Disease ◽

Ischemic Heart ◽

Japanese Men ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Men And Women ◽

History Of

Background and Purpose: Several prospective cohort studies and a randomized clinical trial have shown the beneficial effects of peanut consumption on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. We examined the association between peanut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in Japanese men and women. Methods: We analyzed data of 74 793 participants aged 45 to 74 years who completed a lifestyle questionnaire including the validated food frequency questionnaire in the Japan Public Health Center–based Prospective Study. They were followed up from 1995 to 2009 for cohort I and from 1998 to 1999 to 2012 for cohort II. Peanut consumption was calculated from the food frequency questionnaire, and the end points were incidence of stroke, ischemic heart disease, and cardiovascular disease (stroke and ischemic heart disease). Results: During a median follow-up of 14.8 years, 3,599 strokes and 849 ischemic heart diseases were reported. Higher peanut consumption was associated with reduced risks of total stroke, ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular disease among men and women. The multivariable hazard ratios (95% CIs) for the highest versus lowest quartiles of peanut consumption after adjustment for age, sex, public health center, smoking, alcohol consumption, perceived stress level, physical activity, vegetable, fruit, fish, soy, sodium and total energy intakes, body mass index, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, and cholesterol-lowering drug were 0.84 (0.77–0.93, P for trend=0.002) for total stroke, 0.80 (0.71–0.90, P for trend=0.002) for ischemic stroke, 0.93 (0.79–1.08, P for trend=0.27) for hemorrhagic stroke, 0.97 (0.80–1.17, P for trend=0.81) for ischemic heart disease and 0.87 (0.80–0.94, P for trend=0.004) for cardiovascular disease, and these associations were similarly observed in both sexes. Conclusions: Higher peanut consumption was associated with reduced risk of stroke, especially ischemic stroke, but not ischemic heart disease in Japanese men and women.

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Association of metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress with ischemic heart disease in middle-aged persons

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina44050051 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 392 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Liucija Černiauskienė ◽

Dalia Lukšienė ◽

Abdonas Tamošiūnas ◽

Regina Rėklaitienė ◽

Lilija Margevičienė

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Vitamin E ◽

Ischemic Heart Disease ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Ischemic Heart ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Men And Women ◽

And Oxidative Stress

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress with ischemic heart disease in middle-aged persons (men and women aged 45–64 years). Material and methods. In this study, we have used data of 533 persons (247 men and 286 women) aged 45– 64 years from Kaunas population cohort investigated according to WHO MONICA study protocol during 2001–2002 in whom concentrations of malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant vitamin E in blood serum were determined. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the criteria of Adult Treatment Panel III. Oxidative stress was determined in the presence of increased level of malondialdehyde (≥5 mmol/L) and decreased level of lipid-standardized vitamin E (<20 mmol/L). The levels of malondialdehyde and vitamin E were measured by fluorimetric methods. Results. Ischemic heart disease was diagnosed in 19.8% of men and 21.3% of women. The frequency of ischemic heart disease among persons (men and women) with metabolic syndrome was significantly higher than among persons without metabolic syndrome (27.4% vs. 17.8%, respectively; odds ratio, 1.63; P=0.032). The frequency of ischemic heart disease among persons with oxidative stress was significantly higher than among persons without oxidative stress (29.1% vs. 17.6%, respectively; odds ratio, 1.88; P=0.029). The highest prevalence of ischemic heart disease (30.0%) was among persons with metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress, and the lowest prevalence of this disease (13.8%) was among persons without metabolic syndrome and without oxidative stress (odds ratio, 2.54; P=0.017). These data were adjusted by sex and age. Conclusion. Metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress are significantly associated with ischemic heart disease among 45–64-year-old persons.

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