Endocrine disorders
How much burden do endocrine disorders contribute?
Overall, endocrine disorders was the 10th leading cause of total burden, the eighth leading cause for fatal burden and the seventh leading cause of non-fatal burden among First Nations people in 2022.
In 2022, Endocrine disorders made up 3.7% (11,631 DALY) of total burden, 3.4% (5,359 YLD) of non-fatal burden and 4.0% (6,272 YLL) of fatal burden among First Nations people.
The main cause of endocrine burden was type 2 diabetes (88%), with type 1 diabetes contributing a further 7.9% (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Contribution of individual causes to endocrine disorders total burden (DALY), First Nations people, 2022
Notes
- Percentage labels are not shown for disease groups contributing less than 4.5% of burden.
- ‘Other diabetes’ includes diabetes due to other conditions, such as genetic disorders, infections, or pancreatic disease. It does not include gestational diabetes. The residual ‘Other endocrine disorders’ includes thyroid disorders and disorders of other endocrine glands. It excludes polycystic ovarian syndrome (which is included in reproductive & maternal conditions). See the Australian Burden of Disease Study: methods and supplementary material 2018 for a full list of ICD-10 codes.
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
To explore the contribution of total, non-fatal and fatal burden for each disease group, see the interactive data visualisation: Dashboard 1: Burden of disease in Australia.
What are the differences between fatal and non-fatal burden?
Endocrine disorders caused slightly more fatal (54%) than non-fatal burden (46%) (Figure 2a). Type 2 diabetes was the main cause of fatal burden (86%) and non-fatal burden (90%).
Figure 2a: Endocrine disorders burden (DALY), diseases by burden type, First Nations people, 2022
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
How does burden differ by sex?
There were differences in burden due to endocrine disorders between males and females, with DALY and YLD rates slightly higher among First Nations females than males. YLL rates were similar for males and females (Table 1).
Sex | DALY | YLD | YLL |
|---|---|---|---|
Males | 11.2 | 5.0 | 6.2 |
Females | 11.6 | 5.5 | 6.1 |
Persons | 11.4 | 5.3 | 6.1 |
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
A similar proportion of burden due to endocrine disorders was experienced by First Nations males (49%) and females (51%), although the proportion differed by the type of disorder (Figure 2b). A larger proportion of burden was experienced by First Nations males for other diabetes (66%) and Type 1 diabetes (53%), while First Nations females experienced a higher proportion of the burden due to other endocrine disorders (81%). First Nations males and females experienced similar proportions of the burden from type 2 diabetes (49% and 51%, respectively).
Figure 2b: Endocrine disorders burden (DALY), diseases by sex, First Nations people, 2022
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
How does burden differ by age?
The number of DALY due to endocrine disorders was highest among those aged 45–64, while the age-specific DALY rates were highest among those aged 65–74, and 75 and over. The number and rate of DALY were lowest for those aged under 25. A similar pattern was evident for age-specific YLL and YLD rates (Table 2).
Age group | Number of DALY | DALY rate | YLD rate | YLL rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Under 25 | 260 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
25–44 | 2,254 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 3.8 |
45–64 | 5,761 | 32.4 | 14.8 | 17.6 |
65–74 | 2,244 | 55.0 | 20.7 | 34.3 |
75 and over | 1,112 | 67.8 | 25.8 | 42.0 |
Total | 11,631 | 11.4 | 5.3 | 6.1 |
Note: Due to underlying small numbers, the age groups under 5, 5–14 and 15–24 have been combined into an under 25 age group.
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
Among First Nations people, almost all (98%) endocrine burden occurred in those aged 25 and over, with very little burden present in those aged under 25 (2.2%).
Type 2 diabetes was the leading cause of endocrine burden for First Nations people across all age groups. First Nations people aged under 25 and 25–44 experienced a larger proportion of burden from type 1 diabetes compared with other age groups (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Contribution of individual causes to endocrine disorders total burden (DALY), by age, First Nations people, 2022
Notes
1. ‘Other diabetes’ includes diabetes due to other conditions, such as genetic disorders, infections, or pancreatic disease. It does not include gestational diabetes. The residual ‘Other endocrine disorders’ includes thyroid disorders and disorders of other endocrine glands. It excludes polycystic ovarian syndrome (which is included in reproductive & maternal conditions). See the Australian Burden of Disease Study: methods and supplementary material 2018 for a full list of ICD-10 codes.
2. Due to underlying small numbers, the age groups under 5, 5–14 and 15–24 have been combined into an under 25 age group.
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
To explore the contribution of fatal and non-fatal burden to the leading causes of the top 5 disease groups see the interactive data visualisation: Dashboard 7: Top disease groups across the stages of life.
How has the burden changed over time?
Between 2011 and 2022, the age-standardised rate of total burden due to endocrine disorders for First Nations people decreased from 25 to 18 DALY per 1,000 people, a decrease of 28% (Figure 4).
This was driven by a decrease in the fatal burden (of 42%), mainly from type 2 diabetes (decrease of 6.5 YLL per 1,000; equivalent to a 42% decrease in YLL). Rates of non-fatal burden due to endocrine disorders remained stable between 2011 and 2022 in the First Nations population (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Change between 2011 and 2022 in the age-standardised total (DALY), fatal (YLL), and non-fatal (YLD) burden rate (per 1,000 people), endocrine disorders, First Nations people
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
For non-Indigenous people, the age-standardised rate of total burden due to endocrine disorders remained stable between 2011 and 2022 (5.4 and 5.1 DALY per 1,000 people). ;A similar picture was evident for the age-standardised non-fatal (2.9 YLD per 1,000 people, respectively) and fatal (2.6 and 2.2 YLL per 1,000 people) burden rates over the same period (see Figure 7 in Gap in disease burden section).
To explore the changes over time in the DALY, YLD, and YLL for First Nations people in each disease group, see the interactive data visualisation: Dashboard 3: Comparisons over time.
Comparisons with non-Indigenous Australians
In 2022, the age-standardised rate of burden due to endocrine disorders for First Nations people was 3.6 times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians (age-standardised rates of 18.2 and 5.1 DALY per 1,000 people, respectively).
The largest absolute difference in DALY rates between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians was observed for type 2 diabetes (rate difference of 12.2 DALY per 1,000 people) (Figure 5).
The largest relative differences in DALY rates between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians (based on age-standardised rate ratios) were observed for type 2 diabetes (rate ratio of 4.0) and other diabetes (rate ratio of 2.8).
Figure 5: Endocrine disorders age-standardised total burden rates (DALY per 1,000 people) and rate ratios, First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians, by disease, 2022
Note: ‘Other diabetes’ includes diabetes due to other conditions, such as genetic disorders, infections, or pancreatic disease. It does not include gestational diabetes. The residual ‘Other endocrine disorders’ includes thyroid disorders and disorders of other endocrine glands. It excludes polycystic ovarian syndrome (which is included in reproductive & maternal conditions). See the Australian Burden of Disease Study: methods and supplementary material 2018 for a full list of ICD-10 codes.
Source: AIHW First Nations Burden of Disease Database
To explore the gap in disease burden between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians, see the interactive data visualisation: Dashboards 6a and 6b: Gap in health outcomes.