GBE Booklets and Focus Reports
The Robert Koch Institute's Federal Health Reporting service publishes a series of booklets (Themenhefte) covering specific topics of health reporting.
In addition to these booklets, the RKI publishes focus reports (Schwerpunktberichte), each covering a single health or health-system topic in a detailed and comprehensive manner.
You can either download these booklets as PDF files (German version only, except number 31 and 42) or receive a printed copy by post.
Search results 1 to 9 from a total of 56
Mortality, Cause-of-Death Statistics and Regional Differences – Booklet 52
In Germany the mortality rate has fallen sharply over the last 20 years, more so in the former east Germany than in the west, so that a convergence has taken place. The main remaining discrepancy between east and west is among 15- to 64-year-old men. ...[more details]
Date of issue April 7, 2011PDF (3MB)
Depressive disorders – Booklet 51
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. The individual and social consequences can be significant. Analyses of data from the 1998 Federal Health Survey show that quite a sizeable proportion of the population, especially women, are affected by depressive disorders. The prevalence of depression is also reflected in statistics on the number of people who are off work sick: they show that there has been a steady increase in mental illnesses in recent years. ...[more details]
Date of issue September 22, 2010PDF (1MB)
Schizophrenia – Booklet 50
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe of mental illnesses. It affects about 1% of the population worldwide at least once in their lives. The onset age is usually between 18 and 35. Schizophrenia is among the ten diseases worldwide involving the highest number of "years of life lived with disability", and for many patients it involves a considerable reduction in the quality of life. ...[more details]
Date of issue July 15, 2010PDF (1MB)
Inflammatory rheumatic diseases – Booklet 49
This GBE booklet deals with three main forms of inflammatory rheumatic disorders in adults: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It also has a separate section on inflammatory rheumatic diseases of childhood, focusing on the example of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Important information on the epidemiology, treatment and consequences of these disease groups is available from the German rheumatic registries ("Rheumatologische Kerndokumentationen") for adults and children. ...[more details]
Date of issue June 14, 2010PDF (1MB)
Costs of illness – Booklet 48
In 2006, an average of €2,870 per inhabitant was spent in Germany on maintaining the population's health and alleviating the consequences of disease. The amount spent nationwide totalled €236 billion. Another cost aspect to be taken into consideration is the loss to the labour market caused by inability to work, disability and mortality; this came to 4 million work years. Diseases of the circulatory system were the biggest cost factor (€35.2 billion). The second most costly category (€32.7 billion) was diseases of the digestive system. The chapter with the third highest costs was mental illness and behavioural disorders at €26.7 billion. ... [more details]
Date of issue January 8, 2010PDF (943KB)
Oral health – Booklet 47
On the basis of current and representative data, this Federal Health Reporting booklet provides an overview of the various diseases and disorders of oral health and their prevalence. It discusses risk factors and the causes and consequences of the various diseases. This overview of the German population's oral health is rounded off by information on preventive and therapeutic measures, their cost, and the extent to which they are used by the population. ...[more details]
Date of issue July 1, 2009PDF (1MB)
Employees in the health sector – Booklet 46
Some 4.3 million people were working in the health sector in 2006, the equivalent of every ninth job in Germany. Characteristic features of employment in the health sector include working in shifts, at night, on weekends and on public holidays, and a high proportion of women and part-time staff. The foundations for good healthcare are laid by a wide range of expert skills and knowledge, as well as cooperation between professional groups that is clearly focused on patients' needs. Physicians are particularly important for healthcare (288,400 were practising in 2006). ...[more details]
Date of issue June 30, 2009PDF (1MB)
Expenditure and Finance in Healthcare – Booklet 45
The German health expenditure accounts show the national economy's total annual expenditure on maintaining and restoring the population's health. Germany spends approximately 10.6% of its gross domestic product on health, putting it in the upper third of the countries in the OECD's international comparison. Per-capita expenditure is in the middle range of the OECD countries. Health spending in Germany totalled €245 billion in 2006. ...[more details]
Date of issue June 2, 2009PDF (741KB)
Vascular Diseases of the Legs – Booklet 44
Changes in veins in the leg are a widespread phenomenon in the German population: only about 10% of Germans show no abnormalities, and at least 59% exhibit spider veins and similar abnormalities. The remaining 30% of the population have more severe symptoms of chronic venous disorders, such as varicose veins, fluid accumulations or venous leg ulcers. Moreover, an estimated one in every thousand adults suffers a thrombosis and more than 7000 Germans die of pulmonary embolism every year. ...[more details]
Date of issue May 14, 2009PDF (972KB)