the total impact of a health condition on an individual’s life, encompassing both direct and indirect negative effects on health, functioning, and overall well-being. It includes (but is not limited to) the physical and physiological impacts of the disease and its symptoms; co-morbidities; emotional and psychological effects of the disease, its management, or prognosis; social impacts; effects on relationships; impacts on the patient’s ability to care for self and others; time and financial impacts of the disease and its management; and the broader consequences for the patient’s family.
Example
A person with advanced rheumatoid arthritis may experience a high disease burden: chronic pain and fatigue (physical impacts), depression and anxiety (psychological impacts), reduced ability to work or care for family (social and functional impacts), and substantial medical expenses and travel time for treatments (financial and time impacts).