How many DALYs are lost by a person who has a life expectancy of 74, contracts HIV/AIDS at the age of 40 and lives until the age of 60? This person receives antiretroviral medication two years after she/he contracts HIV/AIDS until she/he dies. [The weighting for HIV/AIDS without antiretroviral medication is 0.5. The weighting for HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral medication is 0.167.]
To determine the number of DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) lost by the individual in this scenario, we need to consider the impact of HIV/AIDS on their health and life expectancy.
1. Calculate the years lived with disability (YLD):
- Since the person contracts HIV/AIDS at the age of 40 and lives until the age of 60, they live with the disability for 20 years.
- The weighting for HIV/AIDS without antiretroviral medication is 0.5. Multiply this weighting by the number of years lived with disability: 0.5 * 20 = 10 YLD.
2. Calculate the years of life lost (YLL):
- The person has a life expectancy of 74 years, but they die at the age of 60 due to HIV/AIDS. Therefore, they lose 14 years of life.
- To account for the reduced quality of life with HIV/AIDS even after the person starts receiving antiretroviral medication, we need to use weighted values for the years of life lost.
- The weighting for HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral medication is 0.167. Multiply this weighting by the number of years of life lost: 0.167 * 14 = 2.338 YLL.
3. Calculate the DALYs:
- The DALYs are the sum of the YLD and YLL: 10 YLD + 2.338 YLL = 12.338 DALYs.
So, the person in this scenario loses approximately 12.338 DALYs due to HIV/AIDS.