Aims: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains an important health issue, yet global attention to RHD is diminishing. This study aimed to investigate the global burden of RHD and its relationship with socioeconomic development status.
Methods and results: Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database. Incidence, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality numbers and rates for RHD were extracted and stratified by sex, level of socio-demographic index (SDI), country, and territory. In addition, the burden of RHD was compared across age groups. From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of RHD increased by 14.4% (11.2-17.0%) and 13.8% (11.0-16.0%), respectively. Incidence and prevalence rates showed an increasing trend in low SDI and low-middle SDI locations, while high-middle SDI and high SDI locations showed a decreasing trend. The age-standardized DALYs and mortality rates of RHD decreased by 53.1% (46.4-60.0) and 56.9% (49.8-64.7%), and this downward trend was more prominent in high-middle SDI and middle SDI locations. In addition, the age of incidence and prevalence rates were concentrated between 5-24 years and 15-49 years, predominantly in poor regions, and RHD appeared to be more common in women than in men.
Conclusion: The burden of RHD is negatively correlated with socioeconomic development status. In particular, the burden of RHD among children, adolescents, and women of childbearing age in poorer regions requires more attention. Policymakers should use the 2019 GBD data to guide cost-effective interventions and resource allocation for RHD.
Keywords: Cardiology; Global burden of diseases; Global health; Rheumatic heart disease; Socioeconomics.
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