Comparing disease burden of rare diseases with common medical conditions in china: evidence from a national online health survey in 2022
摘要
This study aims to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impact of rare diseases (RDs) and eye diseases, chronic diseases, Helicobacter pylori infection, and to assess their disease burden in China.
MethodsA national online survey was conducted among 21,909 Chinese residents between June 20 and August 31, 2022. The four self-reported medical conditions were identified. HRQoL was measured using the five-level EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). Both the multiple linear and logistic regression models were adopted to assess their impacts on EQ-5D utility and VAS scores. The prevalence-based quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) loss was calculated for RDs and other medical conditions. For each condition, QALY loss was calculated for 100,000 persons in 1 year using the associated reduction in EQ-5D utility score estimated in regression analysis.
ResultsThe self-reported prevalence of RDs was 1.2%, and the prevalence of eye diseases, chronic diseases, and Helicobacter pylori infection (unsure and yes) was 46.6%, 25.9%, 25.1% and 3.8%, respectively. All conditions, except for unsure Helicobacter pylori infection, were associated with significantly reduced EQ-5D utility scores, and RDs had the most profound impact on the utility score (β = -0.117; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.151,-0.083). Chronic disease had the largest annual QALY loss per 100,000 persons at -1036.0 (95% CI: -1139.6, -906.5), followed by eye diseases at -279.6 (95% CI: -466.0, -139.8), RDs at -140.4 (95% CI: -181.2, -99.6), Helicobacter pylori infection (yes) at -98.8 (95% CI: -140.6, -57.0), and Helicobacter pylori infection (unsure) at -75.3 (95% CI: -157.7, 25.1).
ConclusionRDs have severe impact on HRQOL among Chinese residents, leading to the disproportionate QALY loss at population-level compared to their low prevalence. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to RDs and effective treatment strategies need to be developed.