The May 2025 issue of Nature Communications features a study based on data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) analysis, co-authored by the members of the presidium of HMA, Dr. Péter Gaál and Dr. Tamás Joó. The paper highlights that health systems worldwide remain largely oriented toward acute care, while the burden of chronic diseases is rising steadily and dramatically.
Among the ten leading causes of disease burden, six require chronic care, and among the ten most common post-disease conditions, eight are chronic. Complications of type 2 diabetes represent the greatest share of years lived with disability (YLD). These complications are increasingly prevalent, particularly among older adults, but are also becoming more common at younger ages.
The study concludes that the demand for chronic care exceeds current health system capacities, calling for both structural and conceptual transformation. Effective responses must strengthen integrated, person-centered, and sustainable care models, prioritize prevention and health promotion, support caregivers, improve healthcare workforce training, and address the economic impact of chronic diseases.
The authors emphasize that managing chronic conditions requires multidisciplinary, population-based strategies, which should be advanced at both national and global levels. Ensuring high-quality, long-term care is essential, and chronic disease management must become a priority in future health policies.
Full article: Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019