The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project estimates that 27 percent of Norwegians had musculoskeletal disorders in 2019, equivalent to 1,43 million inhabitants. This makes MSD the number one cause of non-fatal health loss in Norway (GBD, 2019). Immortal loss of health is a way of calculating how diseases lead to the deterioration of health in a population.
- This shows that diseases, injuries and ailments of the musculoskeletal system are a serious social problem. It affects many people and is an important cause of poor health, reduced quality of life, sickness absenteeism and disability benefits, says Benjamin Clarsen, a researcher at the Disease Burden Center at the National Institute of Public Health.
The calculations are based on data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project. Disease burden calculations show how various diseases and injuries affect the population in the form of health loss and death.
Pain and functional impairment
Ailments, diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system cover a wide range of different conditions. Their common feature is that they are often associated with pain and functional impairment. They affect a wide range of people of all ages.
Musculoskeletal disorders are different from many other diseases in that they can lead to long-term ill health. At the same time, to a lesser extent, to death. If you look at the overall disease burden, which also takes into account the life years lost due to premature deaths, these diseases still rank high on the list. Musculoskeletal disorders are the third largest cause of the overall burden of disease in Norway, after cancer and cardiovascular disease.
It changes with age
Backache is the largest group of injuries, diseases and ailments of the musculoskeletal system and the most costly for society.
The results of various Norwegian studies show that the incidence of MSDs was fairly stable or gradual grew from the mid-90s of the twentieth century. These diseases and ailments vary depending on age. Back and neck pain are the most common people under 50 years of age , while joint problems such as osteoarthritis affect more people in the older age groups.
Source: National Institute of Public Health
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