The incidence and economic costs of major health impairments : a comparative analysis of cancer, motor vehicle injuries coronary heart disease, and stroke.

The economic impact of disease and injury has most often been calculated by examining the costs associated with the prevalence of the impairments in the reference year. The incidence approach is the more appropriate for gauging the economic gains achievable through prevention, immediate rehabilitation, and arresting progression. Incidence-based costs have been estimated for the United States in 1975 for cancer, coronary heart disease, motor vehicle injuries, and stroke. A noteworthy finding is the relative economic importance of motor vehicle injuries,which frequently have been overlooked in the ordering of public health expenditure priorities.