XXXX in Thailand: changes in health gap between 1999 and 2004.

@entity1 @entity64 @entity66 @entity645 @entity1729 @entity791 @entity204
BACKGROUND: Continuing comprehensive assessment of population health gap is essential for effective health planning. This paper assessed changes in the magnitude and pattern of disease burden in Thailand between 1999 and 2004. It further drew lessons learned from applying the global @entity66 (GBD) methods to the Thai context for other developing country settings. METHODS: Multiple sources of mortality and morbidity data for both years were assessed and used to estimate Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) loss for 110 specific diseases and conditions relevant to the country's health problems. Causes of @entity204 from national vital registration were adjusted for misclassification from a verbal autopsy study. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2004, DALYs loss per 1,000 population in 2004 slightly decreased in @entity1 but a minor increase in @entity1 was observed. @entity645 / @entity791 maintained the highest burden for @entity1 in both 1999 and 2004 while in 2004, @entity64 took over the 1999 first rank of @entity645 / @entity791 in @entity1 . Among the top twenty diseases, there was a slight increase of the proportion of non-communicable diseases and two out of three infectious diseases revealed a decrease burden except for lower @entity1729 . CONCLUSION: The study highlights unique pattern of disease burden in Thailand whereby epidemiological transition have occurred as non-communicable diseases were on the rise but burden from @entity645 / @entity791 resulting from the epidemic in the 1990s remains high and injuries show negligent change. Lessons point that assessing DALY over time critically requires continuing improvement in data sources particularly on cause of @entity204 statistics, institutional capacity and long term commitments.
