1,721,077 research outputs found

    Mapping development and health effects of cooking with solid fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-18: a geospatial modelling study.

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    BACKGROUND: More than 3 billion people do not have access to clean energy and primarily use solid fuels to cook. Use of solid fuels generates household air pollution, which was associated with more than 2 million deaths in 2019. Although local patterns in cooking vary systematically, subnational trends in use of solid fuels have yet to be comprehensively analysed. We estimated the prevalence of solid-fuel use with high spatial resolution to explore subnational inequalities, assess local progress, and assess the effects on health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) without universal access to clean fuels. METHODS: We did a geospatial modelling study to map the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking at a 5 km × 5 km resolution in 98 LMICs based on 2·1 million household observations of the primary cooking fuel used from 663 population-based household surveys over the years 2000 to 2018. We use observed temporal patterns to forecast household air pollution in 2030 and to assess the probability of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target indicator for clean cooking. We aligned our estimates of household air pollution to geospatial estimates of ambient air pollution to establish the risk transition occurring in LMICs. Finally, we quantified the effect of residual primary solid-fuel use for cooking on child health by doing a counterfactual risk assessment to estimate the proportion of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections in children younger than 5 years that could be associated with household air pollution. FINDINGS: Although primary reliance on solid-fuel use for cooking has declined globally, it remains widespread. 593 million people live in districts where the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking exceeds 95%. 66% of people in LMICs live in districts that are not on track to meet the SDG target for universal access to clean energy by 2030. Household air pollution continues to be a major contributor to particulate exposure in LMICs, and rising ambient air pollution is undermining potential gains from reductions in the prevalence of solid-fuel use for cooking in many countries. We estimated that, in 2018, 205 000 (95% uncertainty interval 147 000-257 000) children younger than 5 years died from lower respiratory tract infections that could be attributed to household air pollution. INTERPRETATION: Efforts to accelerate the adoption of clean cooking fuels need to be substantially increased and recalibrated to account for subnational inequalities, because there are substantial opportunities to improve air quality and avert child mortality associated with household air pollution. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Global, regional, and national burden of HIV/AIDS, 1990-2021, and forecasts to 2050, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

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    Background As set out in Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, the target date for ending the HIV epidemic as a public health threat is 2030. Therefore, there is a crucial need to evaluate current epidemiological trends and monitor global progress towards HIV incidence and mortality reduction goals. In this analysis, we assess the current burden of HIV in 204 countries and territories and forecast HIV incidence, prevalence, and mortality up to 2050 to allow countries to plan for a sustained response with an increasing number of people living with HIV globally.MethodsWe used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 analytical framework to compute age-sex-specific HIV mortality, incidence, and prevalence estimates for 204 countries and territories (1990-2021). We aimed to analyse all available data sources, including data on the provision of HIV programmes reported to UNAIDS, published literature on mortality among people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) identified by a systematic review, household surveys, sentinel surveillance antenatal care clinic data, vital registration data, and country-level case report data. We calibrated a mechanistic simulation of HIV infection and natural history to available data to estimate HIV burden from 1990 to 2021 and generated forecasts to 2050 through projection of all simulation inputs into the future. Historical outcomes (1990-2021) were simulated at the 1000-draw level to support propagation of uncertainty and reporting of uncertainty intervals (UIs). Our approach to forecasting utilised the transmission rate as the basis for projection, along with new rate-of-change projections of ART coverage. Additionally, we introduced two new metrics to our reporting: prevalence of unsuppressed viraemia (PUV), which represents the proportion of the population without a suppressed level of HIV (viral load <1000 copies per mL), and period lifetime probability of HIV acquisition, which quantifies the hypothetical probability of acquiring HIV for a synthetic cohort, a simulated population that is aged from birth to death through the set of age-specific incidence rates of a given time period.FindingsGlobal new HIV infections decreased by 21·9% (95% UI 13·1-28·8) between 2010 and 2021, from 2·11 million (2·02-2·25) in 2010 to 1·65 million (1·48-1·82) in 2021. HIV-related deaths decreased by 39·7% (33·7-44·5), from 1·19 million (1·07-1·37) in 2010 to 718 000 (669 000-785 000) in 2021. The largest declines in both HIV incidence and mortality were in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. However, super-regions including central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and north Africa and the Middle East experienced increasing HIV incidence and mortality rates. The number of people living with HIV reached 40·0 million (38·0-42·4) in 2021, an increase from 29·5 million (28·1-31·0) in 2010. The lifetime probability of HIV acquisition remains highest in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region, where it declined from its 1995 peak of 21·8% (20·1-24·2) to 8·7% (7·5-10·7) in 2021. Four of the seven GBD super-regions had a lifetime probability of less than 1% in 2021. In 2021, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest PUV of 999·9 (857·4-1154·2) per 100 000 population, but this was a 64·5% (58·8-69·4) reduction in PUV from 2003 to 2021. In the same period, PUV increased in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia by 116·1% (8·0-218·2). Our forecasts predict a continued global decline in HIV incidence and mortality, with the number of people living with HIV peaking at 44·4 million (40·7-49·8) by 2039, followed by a gradual decrease. In 2025, we projected 1·43 million (1·29-1·59) new HIV infections and 615 000 (567 000-680 000) HIV-related deaths, suggesting that the interim 2025 targets for reducing these figures are unlikely to be achieved. Furthermore, our forecasted results indicate that few countries will meet the 2030 target for reducing HIV incidence and HIV-related deaths by 90% from 2010 levels.InterpretationOur forecasts indicate that continuation of current levels of HIV control are not likely to attain ambitious incidence and mortality reduction targets by 2030, and more than 40 million people globally will continue to require lifelong ART for decades into the future. The global community will need to show sustained and substantive efforts to make the progress needed to reach and sustain the end of AIDS as a public threat.FundingThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

    Global, regional, and national sex differences in the global burden of tuberculosis by HIV status, 1990-2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

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    BackgroundTuberculosis is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, causing more than a million deaths annually. Given an emphasis on equity in access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in global health targets, evaluations of differences in tuberculosis burden by sex are crucial. We aimed to assess the levels and trends of the global burden of tuberculosis, with an emphasis on investigating differences in sex by HIV status for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.MethodsWe used a Bayesian hierarchical Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) platform to analyse 21 505 site-years of vital registration data, 705 site-years of verbal autopsy data, 825 site-years of sample-based vital registration data, and 680 site-years of mortality surveillance data to estimate mortality due to tuberculosis among HIV-negative individuals. We used a population attributable fraction approach to estimate mortality related to HIV and tuberculosis coinfection. A compartmental meta-regression tool (DisMod-MR 2.1) was then used to synthesise all available data sources, including prevalence surveys, annual case notifications, population-based tuberculin surveys, and tuberculosis cause-specific mortality, to produce estimates of incidence, prevalence, and mortality that were internally consistent. We further estimated the fraction of tuberculosis mortality that is attributable to independent effects of risk factors, including smoking, alcohol use, and diabetes, for HIV-negative individuals. For individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, we assessed mortality attributable to HIV risk factors including unsafe sex, intimate partner violence (only estimated among females), and injection drug use. We present 95% uncertainty intervals for all estimates.FindingsGlobally, in 2019, among HIV-negative individuals, there were 1·18 million (95% uncertainty interval 1·08-1·29) deaths due to tuberculosis and 8·50 million (7·45-9·73) incident cases of tuberculosis. Among HIV-positive individuals, there were 217 000 (153 000-279 000) deaths due to tuberculosis and 1·15 million (1·01-1·32) incident cases in 2019. More deaths and incident cases occurred in males than in females among HIV-negative individuals globally in 2019, with 342 000 (234 000-425 000) more deaths and 1·01 million (0·82-1·23) more incident cases in males than in females. Among HIV-positive individuals, 6250 (1820-11 400) more deaths and 81 100 (63 300-100 000) more incident cases occurred among females than among males in 2019. Age-standardised mortality rates among HIV-negative males were more than two times greater in 105 countries and age-standardised incidence rates were more than 1·5 times greater in 74 countries than among HIV-negative females in 2019. The fraction of global tuberculosis deaths among HIV-negative individuals attributable to alcohol use, smoking, and diabetes was 4·27 (3·69-5·02), 6·17 (5·48-7·02), and 1·17 (1·07-1·28) times higher, respectively, among males than among females in 2019. Among individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, the fraction of mortality attributable to injection drug use was 2·23 (2·03-2·44) times greater among males than females, whereas the fraction due to unsafe sex was 1·06 (1·05-1·08) times greater among females than males.InterpretationAs countries refine national tuberculosis programmes and strategies to end the tuberculosis epidemic, the excess burden experienced by males is important. Interventions are needed to actively communicate, especially to men, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. These interventions should occur in parallel with efforts to minimise excess HIV burden among women in the highest HIV burden countries that are contributing to excess HIV and tuberculosis coinfection burden for females. Placing a focus on tuberculosis burden among HIV-negative males and HIV and tuberculosis coinfection among females might help to diminish the overall burden of tuberculosis. This strategy will be crucial in reaching both equity and burden targets outlined by global health milestones.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Global, regional, and national burden of meningitis and its aetiologies, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

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    BackgroundAlthough meningitis is largely preventable, it still causes hundreds of thousands of deaths globally each year. WHO set ambitious goals to reduce meningitis cases by 2030, and assessing trends in the global meningitis burden can help track progress and identify gaps in achieving these goals. Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we aimed to assess incident cases and deaths due to acute infectious meningitis by aetiology and age from 1990 to 2019, for 204 countries and territories.MethodsWe modelled meningitis mortality using vital registration, verbal autopsy, sample-based vital registration, and mortality surveillance data. Meningitis morbidity was modelled with a Bayesian compartmental model, using data from the published literature identified by a systematic review, as well as surveillance data, inpatient hospital admissions, health insurance claims, and cause-specific meningitis mortality estimates. For aetiology estimation, data from multiple causes of death, vital registration, hospital discharge, microbial laboratory, and literature studies were analysed by use of a network analysis model to estimate the proportion of meningitis deaths and cases attributable to the following aetiologies: Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, viruses, and a residual other pathogen category.FindingsIn 2019, there were an estimated 236 000 deaths (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 204 000-277 000) and 2·51 million (2·11-2·99) incident cases due to meningitis globally. The burden was greatest in children younger than 5 years, with 112 000 deaths (87 400-145 000) and 1·28 million incident cases (0·947-1·71) in 2019. Age-standardised mortality rates decreased from 7·5 (6·6-8·4) per 100 000 population in 1990 to 3·3 (2·8-3·9) per 100 000 population in 2019. The highest proportion of total all-age meningitis deaths in 2019 was attributable to S pneumoniae (18·1% [17·1-19·2]), followed by N meningitidis (13·6% [12·7-14·4]) and K pneumoniae (12·2% [10·2-14·3]). Between 1990 and 2019, H influenzae showed the largest reduction in the number of deaths among children younger than 5 years (76·5% [69·5-81·8]), followed by N meningitidis (72·3% [64·4-78·5]) and viruses (58·2% [47·1-67·3]).InterpretationSubstantial progress has been made in reducing meningitis mortality over the past three decades. However, more meningitis-related deaths might be prevented by quickly scaling up immunisation and expanding access to health services. Further reduction in the global meningitis burden should be possible through low-cost multivalent vaccines, increased access to accurate and rapid diagnostic assays, enhanced surveillance, and early treatment.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    National-level and state-level prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults in the USA, 1990-2021, and forecasts up to 2050

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    BackgroundOver the past several decades, the overweight and obesity epidemic in the USA has resulted in a significant health and economic burden. Understanding current trends and future trajectories at both national and state levels is crucial for assessing the success of existing interventions and informing future health policy changes. We estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity from 1990 to 2021 with forecasts to 2050 for children and adolescents (aged 5-24 years) and adults (aged ≥25 years) at the national level. Additionally, we derived state-specific estimates and projections for older adolescents (aged 15-24 years) and adults for all 50 states and Washington, DC.MethodsIn this analysis, self-reported and measured anthropometric data were extracted from 134 unique sources, which included all major national surveillance survey data. Adjustments were made to correct for self-reporting bias. For individuals older than 18 years, overweight was defined as having a BMI of 25 kg/m2 to less than 30 kg/m2 and obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher, and for individuals younger than 18 years definitions were based on International Obesity Task Force criteria. Historical trends of overweight and obesity prevalence from 1990 to 2021 were estimated using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression models. A generalised ensemble modelling approach was then used to derive projected estimates up to 2050, assuming continuation of past trends and patterns. All estimates were calculated by age and sex at the national level, with estimates for older adolescents (aged 15-24 years) and adults aged (≥25 years) also calculated for 50 states and Washington, DC. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of the posterior distributions of the respective estimates.FindingsIn 2021, an estimated 15·1 million (95% UI 13·5-16·8) children and young adolescents (aged 5-14 years), 21·4 million (20·2-22·6) older adolescents (aged 15-24 years), and 172 million (169-174) adults (aged ≥25 years) had overweight or obesity in the USA. Texas had the highest age-standardised prevalence of overweight or obesity for male adolescents (aged 15-24 years), at 52·4% (47·4-57·6), whereas Mississippi had the highest for female adolescents (aged 15-24 years), at 63·0% (57·0-68·5). Among adults, the prevalence of overweight or obesity was highest in North Dakota for males, estimated at 80·6% (78·5-82·6), and in Mississippi for females at 79·9% (77·8-81·8). The prevalence of obesity has outpaced the increase in overweight over time, especially among adolescents. Between 1990 and 2021, the percentage change in the age-standardised prevalence of obesity increased by 158·4% (123·9-197·4) among male adolescents and 185·9% (139·4-237·1) among female adolescents (15-24 years). For adults, the percentage change in prevalence of obesity was 123·6% (112·4-136·4) in males and 99·9% (88·8-111·1) in females. Forecast results suggest that if past trends and patterns continue, an additional 3·33 million children and young adolescents (aged 5-14 years), 3·41 million older adolescents (aged 15-24 years), and 41·4 million adults (aged ≥25 years) will have overweight or obesity by 2050. By 2050, the total number of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity will reach 43·1 million (37·2-47·4) and the total number of adults with overweight and obesity will reach 213 million (202-221). In 2050, in most states, a projected one in three adolescents (aged 15-24 years) and two in three adults (≥25 years) will have obesity. Although southern states, such as Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Kentucky, are forecast to continue to have a high prevalence of obesity, the highest percentage changes from 2021 are projected in states such as Utah for adolescents and Colorado for adults.InterpretationExisting policies have failed to address overweight and obesity. Without major reform, the forecasted trends will be devastating at the individual and population level, and the associated disease burden and economic costs will continue to escalate. Stronger governance is needed to support and implement a multifaceted whole-system approach to disrupt the structural drivers of overweight and obesity at both national and local levels. Although clinical innovations should be leveraged to treat and manage existing obesity equitably, population-level prevention remains central to any intervention strategies, particularly for children and adolescents.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Global, regional, and national burden of suicide, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

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    BackgroundDeaths from suicide are a tragic yet preventable cause of mortality. Quantifying the burden of suicide to understand its geographical distribution, temporal trends, and variation by age and sex is an essential step in suicide prevention. We aimed to present a comprehensive set of global, regional, and national estimates of suicide burden.MethodsWe produced estimates of the number of deaths and age-standardised mortality rates of suicide globally, regionally, and for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021, and disaggregated these results by age and sex. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 estimates of deaths attributable to suicide were broken down into two comprehensive categories: those by firearms and those by other specified means. For this analysis, we also produced estimates of mean age at the time of death from suicide, incidence of suicide attempts compared with deaths, and age-standardised rates of suicide by firearm. We acquired data from vital registration, verbal autopsy, and mortality surveillance that included 23 782 study-location-years of data from GBD 2021. Point estimates were calculated from the average of 1000 randomly selected possible values of deaths from suicide by age, sex, and geographical location. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution.FindingsGlobally, 746 000 deaths (95% UI 692 000-800 000) from suicide occurred in 2021, including 519 000 deaths (485 000-556 000) among males and 227 000 (200 000-255 000) among females. The age-standardised mortality rate has declined over time, from 14·9 deaths (12·8-15·7) per 100 000 population in 1990 to 9·0 (8·3-9·6) per 100 000 in 2021. Regionally, mortality rates due to suicide were highest in eastern Europe (19·2 [17·5-20·8] per 100 000), southern sub-Saharan Africa (16·1 [14·0-18·3] per 100 000), and central sub-Saharan Africa (14·4 [11·0-19·1] per 100 000). The mean age at which individuals died from suicide progressively increased during the study period. For males, the mean age at death by suicide in 1990 was 43·0 years (38·0-45·8), increasing to 47·0 years (43·5-50·6) in 2021. For females, it was 41·9 years (30·9-46·7) in 1990 and 46·9 years (41·2-52·8) in 2021. The incidence of suicide attempts requiring medical care was consistently higher at the regional level for females than for males. The number of deaths by suicide using firearms was higher for males than for females, and substantially varied by country and region. The countries with the highest age-standardised rate of suicides attributable to firearms in 2021 were the USA, Uruguay, and Venezuela.InterpretationDeaths from suicide remain variable by age and sex and across geographical locations, although population mortality rates have continued to improve globally since the 1990s. This study presents, for the first time in GBD, a quantification of the mean age at the time of suicide death, alongside comprehensive estimates of the burden of suicide throughout the world. These analyses will help guide future approaches to reduce suicide mortality that consider a public health framework for prevention.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Assessing the impact of reducing risk factors for cardio-vascular disease in Thailand.

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    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global health problem and there has been an epidemiological transition of CVD from high income countries to low-middle income countries. In the case of Thailand, the prevalence of heart disease and stroke is increasing. In order to reduce the risk of CVD, the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has implemented a number of primary CVD prevention strategies within the last decade. These strategies are being specifically implemented to address the future potential economic burden of increasing CVD. However, the economic impact of reducing multiple risk factors, at a population level in Thailand, in terms of health care costs is unclear. In order to plan for investment in public health interventions within finite resources, it is imperative that decision makers have sufficient information to identify the target populations and risk reduction strategies, and to assess the impact of these strategies on the population.This study aims to estimate the future prevalence of CVD in Thailand over the next 5-10 years and the potential economic and health benefits of strategies to reduce the population risk factors during this period.The mathematic CVD cost-offset model has been developed in this study in 7 stages. 1) Descriptive analysis of the CVD risk profile data from the 4th National Health Examination Survey (NHESIV) 2008-2009 data set in order to explore the association of CVD risk factors in Thailand. 2) Calculate the probability of future CVD event which applies the CVD risk prediction equation. 3) Estimate of the number of future CVD events. 4) Validation of the estimated number of annual CVD event with the actual CVD hospitalisation event in Thailand. 5) Calculate the cost of hospital admission due to CVD from the Universal Coverage Health Care Scheme (UC) data in 2009. 6) Estimate the burden of CVD in terms of the DALYs. 7) Estimate the impact of reducingCVD risk factors in different scenarios. The study outcomes being the number of hospitalisation cost savings, number of premature death savings, DALY savings and health care cost savings. The outcomes will also account for the uncertainty analysis.As indicated above, no studies currently exist that focus specifically on the mathematic model for estimating the future situation of CVD in Thailand. Therefore, this study represents an original contribution to that knowledge. The findings of this study will contribute to health policy by providing specific new knowledge and information regarding Thai CVD risk factors and the impact of the risk reduction which will assist health policy makers in the planning and future investment in prevention programs for CVD in Thailand. Moreover, it is expected that the finding from this research will establish a CVD prediction model for Thailand, and one which may be applicable and compatible to the Asia and Pacific regions

    Cost-effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of dementia in Thailand

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    Dementia is a significant global health problem and has become a leading cause of morbidity and a functional decline in elderly people. This syndrome comes together with the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, (BPSD), which more than half of people with dementia tend to encounter behavioural disturbances at any one point during the course of the disease, leading to several problems for those patients, caregivers, family members as well as healthcare systems. Due to a controversy of the management of BPSD at this time, it results in a variety of treatment options for BPSD sufferers. Currently, an economic evaluation of atypical antipsychotic drug use for behaviourally disturbed patients with dementia is not well explored. As a result, it is important to address this lack of knowledge as well as the paucity of economic evaluation studies associated with the cost-utility of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of dementia patients. This thesis aims to use the cost-utility analysis to assess the economic impact of olanzapine compared with risperidone, for patients with BPSD in Thailand. The main stages applied for this analysis are as follows: firstly, the scope of the health economic evaluation was defined. Secondly, the models were developed in different schemes and justified the most appropriate model to apply for evaluating the treatment with olanzapine in comparison to risperidone, for patients with BPSD within a Thai setting. Then, the estimated monthly costs and utility weights of patients with BPSD and receiving olanzapine or risperidone were calculated from the primary data collected from two hospitals in Thailand. Finally, the cost-utility analysis of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of patients with BPSD in Thailand was conducted from a societal perspective, over a five-year time horizon using a one-month cycle length. The results suggest olanzapine is more cost-effective than risperidone, in the treatment of a patient with BPSD from a societal perspective (ICER< THB 160,000)
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