Background: This study provides a comprehensive, comparative and updated estimates of temporal patterns of lower respiratory infections (LRIs) globally over the past three decades.
Methods: The data on morbidity and mortality of patients with LRIs at the global, regional and national levels were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study.
Results: Globally, the incident cases of LRIs increased from 414,342,866 [95% uncertainty interval (UI):383,529,625 to 449, 086,938]in 1990 to 488,902,504(95% UI: 457,572,987 to 522,635,542)in 2019 with the age standardized incidence rate (ASIR) decreased from 8,276/100,000 persons (95% UI: 7,727 to 8,892) to 6,295/100,000 persons (95% UI: 5,887 to 6,737) between 1990 and 2019. Number of LRIs deaths were 2,493,200 (95% UI: 2,268,184 to 2,736,184) in 2019, a decrease of 24.9% (95% UI: -34.4 to -15.4) in the past 30 years. Meanwhile, the age-standardized death rate (ASDR) declined also from 67/100,000 persons (95% UI: 61 to 73) in 1990 to 34/100,000 persons (95% UI: 31 to 38) in 2019. Moreover, the numbers and age-standardized rates per 100,000 persons of morbidity and mortality varied widely by age, sex, Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) quintiles, and geographical locations in 2019.
Conclusion: LRIs remain a major public health concern . Some differences in age, sex, SDI quintiles, and geographical locations contribute to LRIs-related global health policy development and health system resource optimization.
Keywords: Global burden; Lower respiratory infections; Morbidity; Mortality.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.