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Background: Transport-related injuries (TIs) are a substantial public health concern for all regions of the world. The present study quantified the burden of TIs and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) in 2017 by sex and age. Methods: TIs and deaths were estimated by age, sex, country, and year using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) and DisMod-MR 2.1. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which quantify the total burden of years lost due to premature death or disability, were also estimated per 100 000 population. All estimates were reported along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results: In 2017, there were 5.5 million (UI 4.9-6.2) transport-related incident cases in the EMR -- a substantial increase from 1990 (2.8 million; UI 2.5-3.1). The age-standardized incidence rate for the EMR in 2017 was 787 (UI 705.5-876.2) per 100 000, which has not changed significantly since 1990 (-0.9%; UI -4.7 to 3). These rates differed remarkably between countries, such that Oman (1303.9; UI 1167.3-1441.5) and Palestine (486.5; UI 434.5-545.9) had the highest and lowest age-standardized incidence rates per 100 000, respectively. In 2017, there were 185.3 thousand (UI 170.8-200.6) transport-related fatalities in the EMR -- a substantial increase since 1990 (140.4 thousand; UI 118.7-156.9). The age-standardized death rate for the EMR in 2017 was 29.5 (UI 27.1-31.9) per 100 000, which was 30.5% lower than that found in 1990 (42.5; UI 36.8-47.3). In 2017, Somalia (54; UI 30-77.4) and Lebanon (7.1; UI 4.8-8.6) had the highest and lowest age-standardized death rates per 100,000, respectively. The age-standardised DALY rate for the EMR in 2017 was 1,528.8 (UI 1412.5-1651.3) per 100 000, which was 34.4% lower than that found in 1990 (2,331.3; UI 1,993.1-2,589.9). In 2017, the highest DALY rate was found in Pakistan (3 454 121; UI 2 297 890-4 342 908) and the lowest was found in Bahrain (8616; UI 7670-9751). Conclusion: The present study shows that while road traffic has become relatively safer (measured by deaths and DALYs per 100 000 population), the number of transport-related fatalities in the EMR is growing and needs to be addressed urgently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population health and disease profiles are diverse across Iran's neighboring countries. Borrowing the results of the country-level Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2010 Study (GBD 2010), we aim to compare Iran with 19 countries in terms of an important set of population health and disease metrics. These countries include those neighboring Iran and a few other countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Methods: We show the pattern of health transition across the comparator countries from 1990 through 2010. We use classic GBD metrics measured for the year 2010 to indicate the rank of Iran among these nations. The metrics include disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost as a result of premature death (YLLs), years of life lost due to disability (YLDs), health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE), and age-standardized death rate (ASD). Results: Considerable and uniform transition from communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMMN) conditions to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was seen between 1990 and 2010. On average, ischemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, and road injuries were the three principal causes of YLLs, while low back pain and major depressive disorders were the top causes of YLDs in these countries. Iran ranked 13th in HALE and 12th in ASD. The function of Iran's health care, measured by DALYs, was somewhat in the middle of the HALE spectrum for the comparator countries. This intermediate position becomes rather highlighted when Afghanistan, as outlier, is taken out of the comparison. Conclusion: Effective policies to reduce NCDs need to be formulated and implemented through an integrated health care system. Our comparison shows that Iran can learn from the experience of a number of these countries to devise and execute the required strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]