Measures of Morbidity and Mortality

Measures of Morbidity and Mortality

In epidemiological studies, it is always very imperative to understand the similarities and differences in meanings between various terms. This is very paramount in correctly describing and examining the ill health or wellness of a given population. In most cases, people tend to confuse or use interchangeably two or more directly related terms, especially those that seem to have very close pronunciations, leading to errors in the measurement or description of the health of a particular population. This paper will specifically address two terms (morbidity and mortality) that are often mistakenly or interchangeably used and their importance. Differences in some of the major/leading causes of deaths/fatalities in India (a developing nation) will also be compared with the primary causes of mortality in the U.S. (a developed economy) between 2014 and 2017.

Differences between Morbidity and Mortality and their Importance

The epidemiologic term ‘morbidity’ is defined as the condition of being unhealthy and is usually applicable to all persons impacted by illness in a specific region (World Health Organization, 2009). It is any psychological or physical condition that falls outside the realm of health or normal well-being. Morbidity is usually applied when describing the degradation of health, impairment, as well as disease, particularly when highlighting age-related and chronic conditions/illnesses, like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, influenza, and cancer, which tend to worsen with time.

Thus, the word ‘morbidity rate’ is usually used to define the total persons impacted by a particular condition/disease. The term ‘co-morbidities’ is used to define the multiple diseases existing or appearing in the same individual, although they might not sometimes be associated with a similar cause. Some common co-morbid conditions include diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and depression. Understanding the morbidity of a particular population is important for epidemiologists because it can tell the incidence, prevalence, and infection patterns and, thus, can assist in making risk management decisions. Health officials can, therefore, use the morbidity data to implement effective health plans based on the specific needs of the affected population (Ayeni, 1976).

Mortality, contrarily, is the opposite term that is used to define the number of fatalities/deaths in a particularly identified population/group. For epidemiologic reasons, mortality is often expressed by a rate that shows the total number of fatalities per 1000 persons/individuals per year. Today, a mortality rate can often be estimated using metrics such as the Coma Scale, Glasgow, APACHE-II, SAPS II & III, and many others. Similar to morbidity data, death data in an economy is important statistical information because it helps in public planning and allocation of resources (Connecticut State Department of Public Health, n.d.). Mortality data is also the only complete metric that describes the health and well-being of a population (Frentzel-Beyme et al., 1980).

The Differences in the Leading Causes of Mortality in the U.S. and Bangladesh between 2014 and 2017

Studies have shown that developing and developed economies often experience varying causes of mortality patterns. This implies that what might lead to a higher number of deaths in Bangladesh might apply to America and vice-versa. For example, according to the CDC report by Murphy et al. (2015), heart disease (at a rate of 167.0 per 100,000 people) was the foremost cause of mortality in America in 2014 followed by cancer (161.2) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (40.5).

In 2015, the same diseases were the leading causes of disease, with heart disease increasing slightly to 168.5 while cancer dropped to 158.5. Chronic lower respiratory diseases also slightly increased to 41.6/100,000 people (Xu et al., 2016). In 2016, however, unintentional injuries came as the third primary cause of mortality in the country at a rate of 47.4, while heart disease (165.5) and cancer (155.8) still maintain the first and second positions (Kochanek et al., 2017). The case was similar in 2017, with heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries accounting for 165.0, 152.5, and 49.4, respectively (Murphy et al., 2018).

On the other hand, in 2017, the leading causes of mortality in India – which has a population of nearly 1.353 billion people and a GDP of $2.719 trillion as of 2018 – include ischemic heart disease, COPD, and stroke (IHME, 2017). Unlike the U.S., all the top three causes of death in India are heart-related diseases – a factor that highlights the potential poor dietary choices as well as lack of physical activity among Indians.

References

Ayeni, O. (1976). The importance of morbidity statistics in the evaluation of public health in Africa. Jimlar Mutane, 1(2), 193-197.

Connecticut State Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Mortality statistics. Retrieved from https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Health-Information-Systems–Reporting/Mortality/Mortality-Statistics

Frentzel-Beyme, R., et al. (1980). Mortality data and statistics, importance for health services and epidemiologic research. NMW, Munchener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 13(122), 901-906.

IHME. (2017). Measuring what matters: India. Retrieved from http://www.healthdata.org/india

Kochanek, K. D., et al. (2016). Mortality in the United States, 2016. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db293.htm#:~:text=In%202016%2C%20the%2010%20leading,although%20two%20causes%20exchanged%20ranks.

Murphy, S. L., et al. (2015). Mortality in the United States, 2014. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db229.htm#:~:text=Statistics%20System%2C%20Mortality.-,What%20are%20the%20leading%20causes%20of%20death%3F,in%202013%20(Figure%203)

Murphy, S. L., et al. (2018). Mortality in the United States, 2016. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db328.htm#:~:text=Data%20from%20the%20National%20Vital%20Statistics%20System&text=The%20age%2Dadjusted%20death%20rate,the%20age%20group%2045%E2%80%9354.

Xu, J., et al. (2016). Mortality in the United States, 2015. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db267.htm#:~:text=In%202015%2C%20the%2010%20leading,in%202014%20(Figure%203).

World Health Organization. (2009). Global health risks: Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. World Health Organization.

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Measures of Morbidity and Mortality

Write an essay in which you do the following:

Define and differentiate between morbidity and mortality rates of a population. Why are these rates important? Please explain your response and give an example of each.
Describe the differences in the leading causes of mortality in the United States and in a developing country of your choice (for the year 2014-2017).
Be sure to support your opinion with evidence from the literature.

Length: 2–3 pages, excluding title page and references.