Exploring why global health needs are unmet by research efforts: the potential influences of geography, industry and publication incentives

Table 1 Classification of diseases according to differences of burden per capita in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries (HICs)

Type	Relative disease burden per capita^a	Description	# Diseases	Exemplary cases
1a	< 0.75	More burden in HICs	34	Colon cancer, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease
1b	0.75 ≤ x < 1.25	Equal burden	28	Depression, schizophrenia, ischemic heart disease
1c	1.25 ≤ x < 3.00	A bit more burden in LMICs	26	Cirrhosis, stroke
2	3.00 ≤ x < 35.0	More burden in LMICs	22	Maternal conditions, HIV
3	≥ 35.0	Quasi exclusive of LMICs	24	Malaria, diarrhoeal diseases

^aRelative disease burden per capita is calculated as the ratio of disease burden per capita in LMICs over disease burden per capita in HICs [10]

ISSN: 1478-4505