Life and Labor Losses of Public Health due to Tuberculosis in Russia in 2016 and 2023

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) keeps worsening public health making it important to assess TB burden using more sensitive methods than traditional epidemiological indicators.

 Objective: To estimate the TB burden using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

 Materials and Methods: The total burden of tuberculosis was calculated as the sum of years of life lost due to TB death (YLL) and years lost due to disability (YLD) in Russia in the years 2016 and 2023 based on statistical forms and data of the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat).

 Results: The TB burden in Russia is primarily due to premature mortality, with YLL being twice as high as YLD in 2016 for the total population and men and 1.4-fold for women. The YLL was the highest among men aged 25–59, particularly among those aged 35–44, equaling 450.2 and 165.6 per 100,000 population of the same age and sex group in 2016 and 2023, respectively. The YLL decreased between 2016 and 2023 by 2.6 times for the whole and male population and by 2.7 times among women, compared to 1.8 and 1.9-fold declines in YLD. A slower decline in the YLL is observed for those aged 45 and older, indicating a buildup and shift in the TB burden toward older age groups. Premature TB mortality persists among children aged 0–14, predominantly among girls, and with a slower decline among boys.

 Conclusions: The study results should be taken into account when developing targeted TB programs in Russia and improving TB prevention in vulnerable age groups, i.e. among children and adults over 45 years of age, where the reduction in the TB burden is noticeably slower in terms of YLL.

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