What is disease burden?
Disease burden is a measure of the overall impact of a disease or health condition on a population. It encompasses not only clinical outcomes such as morbidity and mortality, but also the economic cost of treatment, loss of productivity, and the effect on patients’ and caregivers’ quality of life. Disease burden is often quantified using metrics such as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and healthcare resource utilization.
Why is understanding disease burden important?
Quantifying disease burden helps stakeholders across healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors prioritize interventions, allocate resources, and design value-based healthcare strategies. For pharmaceutical companies, it supports the development of value propositions, health economic models, and evidence generation plans. Demonstrating a reduction in disease burden is a key factor in gaining support from payers, regulators, and healthcare providers when introducing new treatments.
