Temporal Trends in the Incidence of Pneumoconiosis in 195 Countries and Territories, 1990-2017: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Abstract

Background: Pneumoconiosis is one of the most serious occupational diseases, with increasing cases around the world. We aimed to describe the global incidence and temporal trends of pneumoconiosis. Methods: We collected detailed information on pneumoconiosis from the Global Burden of Disease study between 1990 and 2017. Average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) in pneumoconiosis age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), by sex, region, and category, were calculated to quantify the temporal incidence trends. Join-point regression analysis was used to identify points where a statistically significant change occurred over time in the linear slope of the trend. Results: Globally, incident cases of pneumoconiosis increased 66.0% (95% CI 63.3% to 67.5%) from 36,186 in 1990 to 67,017 in 2017. The most common cases were silicosis (23,600) and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (15,000) in 2017, followed by other pneumoconiosis (11,800) and asbestosis (9,400). The ASIR of total pneumoconiosis decreased by an average of 0.57% (95% CI 0.53% to 0.61%) per year from 1990 to 2017. Significant negative correlations between AAPCs and human development indexes (HDIs) were detected for pneumoconiosis, silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis in the developed countries (r=-0.35, -0.59 and -0.32, all p<0.05), though the association between AAPCs and HDIs was not statistically significant in developing countries. Moreover, developed countries have undergone a more rapid decrease in ASIR of pneumoconiosis than developing countries. Different from total pneumoconiosis, the ASIR of asbestosis increased during the overall period (0.57%; 0.52% to 0.62%), especially over the most recent ten years (0.86%; 0.72% to 0.99%). The most pronounced increases in ASIR of asbestosis were detected in middle-high socio-demographic index countries, including Australia, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand. Conclusions: The number of new cases of pneumoconiosis in the world is still growing although the ASIR is declining. Efforts to control pneumoconiosis, especially asbestosis, are imminent. Funding Statement: This study was supported by grants of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 81872593, 81903291). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: Not required.