Global Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among Adolescents and Young Adults in 204 Countries and Territories, from 1990 to 2021: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Abstract

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a significant component of the global disease burden, particularly among adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to investigate the patterns and trends of IBD among adolescents from 1990 to 2021. Methods We retrieved data on the incidence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of IBD in adolescents (aged 15-39 years) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, Temporal trends of incidence and DALYs were calculated using the average annual percent change (AAPC). The correlation between age-specific incidence rates and DALYs rates with the Sociodemographic Index (SDI) was performed using Spearman’s correlation analysis. Results From 1990 to 2021, age-specific incidence rates significantly increased while age-specific DALYs rates declined [AAPC: 0.22vs-0.16]. All SDI regions saw a decline in age-specific incidence rates while age-specific DALYs rates in adolescent showed an increasing trend in low and middle SDI regions but a-decrease in high, high-middle and low-middle SDI regions. Incidence rates rose from 1990 to 2021 in 21-GBD regions except for high-income North America. In contrast, DALYs rates increased in regions such as Western Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Latin America, Tropical Latin America, Australasia, Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and North Africa and the Middle East, while they declined in the remaining 21-GBD regions. Among the 204-countries, China exhibited the fastest-growing age-specific incidence rate among adolescents [AAPC: 2.60], followed by Libya (AAPC: 2.59) and Oman (AAPC: 1.56), while Italy showed the fastest decline [AAPC: -0.76] (Figure-1A). Mauritius experienced the fastest growth in age-specific DALYs rates among adolescents (AAPC: 1.93), followed by Libya (AAPC: 1.79) and Mexico (AAPC: 1.45), while Northern Mariana Islands saw the fastest decline (AAPC: -3.28) (Figure-1B). Moreover, the AAPC of age-specific incidence rates for adolescent IBD exhibited a slight decreasing trend with increasing SDI (Figure-1C), and the AAPC of DALYs rates significantly declined with increasing SDI (Figure-1D). Conclusion The regional disparities in the incidence and DALYs rates of adolescent IBD highlight the urgent need for innovative prevention and healthcare strategies to alleviate the global burden of IBD among adolescents. Early screening could be crucial in mitigating the impact of IBD on adolescents.