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YLLs

YLLs, or Years of Life Lost, is a measure used in public health to quantify the burden of premature mortality in a population. It reflects the number of years not lived by individuals who die before a standard life expectancy. YLLs are calculated by summing, across all deaths, the difference between a reference life expectancy at the age of death and the actual age at death. The standard life expectancy is taken from a life table chosen for the analysis, often an aspirational or model life table designed to represent optimal survival.

YLLs can be calculated for individuals or aggregated by cause, age, sex, or location. They are commonly

Methodological choices include selection of the reference life table and the potential application of discounting of

Used for policy planning and prioritization, YLLs help identify leading causes of premature mortality and evaluate

used
in
burden-of-disease
studies
and
are
a
component
of
the
disability-adjusted
life
year
(DALY),
together
with
years
lived
with
disability
(YLDs).
This
combination
allows
comparison
of
the
impact
of
fatal
and
non-fatal
health
outcomes
within
and
across
populations.
future
life
years
or
age-weighting.
In
recent
practice,
many
analyses
use
no
discounting
and
no
age-weighting,
though
earlier
work
and
some
studies
have
employed
these
adjustments.
YLLs
are
sensitive
to
the
life-table
choice
and
to
the
accuracy
of
mortality
data,
and
they
do
not
capture
non-fatal
health
loss
or
quality
of
life.
the
impact
of
interventions,
making
them
a
central
component
of
many
public
health
assessments.