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Alcohol use/dependence are an important risk factor for cirrhosis of the liver. The article aims to describe and conduct a comparative analysis of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD) of alcohol use disorders and non-viral cirrhosis in Brazil in 2008. DALY was calculated as the sum of YLL and YLD. For YLL estimates, the mean number of deaths from 2007- 2009 in the country was considered. After revision of epidemiological data, prevalence of each disease was modelled with the DisMod tool, which generated incidence data for YLD estimates. Alcohol and non-viral cirrhosis were responsible for 3% and 1% of total DALYs, respectively. In both diseases, men contributed to a greater proportion of DALYs. Among the first ten causes of DALYs, alcohol use disorders occupied the second, third and sixth positions at the ages of 15-29, 30-44 and 45- 59, respectively. Non-viral cirrhosis was the eighth cause of DALY in the 30-44 age group in men; the fifth, in the 45-59 group and the eighth, in the 60-69 group. Age distribution suggests that interventions directed against alcohol use/dependence would have effects on the burden of alcoholic cirrhosis in the country.

The aim of this study was to estimate the global burden of disease from external causes in 2008 in Brazil, based on DALYs (disability-adjusted life years). YLLs (years of life lost) were estimated according to the method proposed by Murray & Lopez (1996). Meanwhile, the method for estimating YLDs (years lived with disability) included methodological adjustments taking the Brazilian reality into account. The study showed a total of 195 DALYs per 100 thousand inhabitants, of which 19 DALYs were related to external causes. Among YLLs, 48% were from unintentional causes and 52% from intentional causes. Among YLDs, unintentional causes predominated, with 95%. The share of YLLs in DALYs was 90%. The cause with the highest proportion of YLLs was "homicide and violence" (43%), followed by "road traffic accidents" (31%). Falls accounted for the highest share of YLDs (36%). The sex ratio (male-to-female) was 4.8 for DALYs, and the predominant age bracket was 15-29 years. Since external causes are avoidable, the study provides potentially useful information for policymakers in public security and health.

Type II diabetes mellitus accounts for 90% of all cases of diabetes, and its inclusion in health evaluation has shown that its complications have a considerable impact on the population's quality of life. The current article presents the results of the Global Burden of Disease Study in Brazil for the year 1998, with an emphasis on diabetes mellitus and its complications. The indicator used was disability-adjusted life years (DALY), using a discount rate of 3%. In Brazil, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes accounted for 14.7% of total lost DALYs. Brazil showed a higher proportion of years lived with disability (YLDs) among total DALYs for diabetes as compared to other countries. Retinopathy and neuropathy were the complications that contributed most to YLDs. According to forecasts, diabetes mellitus will have an increasing impact on years of life lost due to premature death and disability in the world, shifting from the 11th to 7th cause of death by 2030. It is thus urgent to implement effective measures for prevention, early diagnosis, counseling, and adequate follow-up of patients with diabetes mellitus.