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Background: Aging is a strong risk factor for many chronic diseases. However, the economic burden attributable to age-related diseases remains unclear. We aimed to calculate the economic burden attributable to age-related diseases in China. Methods: We used an econometric modelling approach from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), which is based on a longitudinal observational data set from middle-aged and older adults aged 45+ in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Results: We calculated the total direct economic burden attributable to age-related diseases for outpatient and inpatient services among adults aged 45 and above in China, which was approximately 288. 368 billion US dollars (US), US379. 901 billion, and US616. 809 billion in 2011, 2013, and 2015, respectively, taking up 19. 48%, 21. 11% and 32. 03% of the overall health care expenses in the same year. The proportion of dyslipidemia was the largest, followed by hypertension in all the three years; hearing problems accounted for the lowest proportion. Conclusions: The alarming upward trend in age-related economic burden in China calls for urgent interventions to prevent or slow down the accumulation of damage associated with age-related diseases.
Ye et al. (Fri,) studied this question.