PEOPLE in Scotland lose more years to poor health caused by neck and lower back pain than early deaths from heart disease, according to the first study to examine the impact of different diseases on the nation's health and life expectancy.

It also found that Scots spend more years in ill health due to depression than lung cancer - the most common form of cancer in Scotland.

The researchers said the findings were a "stark reminder that living longer does not necessarily equate to a healthy, happy life" and that more needed to be done to reduce the burden of people living a long time in poor health, alongside investment in preventing killer diseases.

The 'Scottish Burden of Disease Study' is the first time that the internationally recognised measure has been used to quantify illness in Scotland. It calculates the years of life lost because someone dies earlier than would be expected - for example from a heart attack or cancer - combined with the amount of healthy life being lost to illness, injury, or disability across the population.

This might be a full year in the case of a chronic long-term illness, or a period of days or weeks where a person makes a full recovery. The data for the population as a whole is then put through a formula which takes into account the prevalence, severity and degree to which a particular condition "disables" a person to create national 'burden of disease' score.

The report found that while an estimated 86,100 years of life were lost to premature deaths from coronary heart disease in Scotland in 2015, 90,200 years were being lost to neck and back pain. Depression was responsible for 76,000 years lost to illness, while lung cancer accounted for 58,200 years lost to premature death.

Anxiety disorders, migraine, and diseases causing blindness, deafness or other sensory impairment were also among the leading causes of the non-fatal burden of disease in Scotland. COPD, stroke, chronic liver disease and suicide were among the other major fatal burdens.

Dr Diane Stockton, the study lead at NHS Health Scotland said: “This set of studies provides the most accurate picture we have ever had of the impact of different diseases and conditions on the Scottish population. It is the first time that estimates of burden of disease have been calculated using the full range of sources of data available, specifically for Scotland.

“There are more person-years of poor health lost due to neck and lower back pain than are lost are due to early heart disease deaths, and more person-years of poor health lost due to depression than lung cancer deaths. This is a stark reminder that living longer does not necessarily equate to healthy, happy life.

“It is important to address the burden of living in less than ideal health so that more people in Scotland can live longer, healthier lives.”

The findings are now set to be narrowed down by local area and level of deprivation, and projections will be made to 2025 to aid health service planning.

Dr Ian Grant, Principal Researcher at Information Services Division said: “[Further material] will include the likely impact of the ageing population, socio-economic analysis and analysis by local area. Arming planners and decision makers with this information will be a significant step forward in ensuring that services and policies are well targeted to the Scottish people.”