The global, regional, and national burden of asbestosis in adolescents and young adults, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden Of Disease Study 2021

Bingxin Shang; Valentina Quintero Santofimio; Zerong Chen; Jixuan Ma

doi:10.1097/JS9.0000000000003639

The global, regional, and national burden of asbestosis in adolescents and young adults, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden Of Disease Study 2021

Int J Surg. 2025 Oct 28. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000003639. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Bingxin Shang¹, Valentina Quintero Santofimio², Zerong Chen², Jixuan Ma^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
² National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.

PMID: 41187312
DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000003639

Abstract

Background: Asbestosis among adolescents and young adults is a growing concern. However, a systematic assessment of its global burden in this age group is lacking. We aimed to evaluate the global, regional, and national burden of asbestosis among adolescents and young adults from 1990 to 2021.

Materials and methods: Data on prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were sourced from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021. The Joinpoint regression was applied to calculate the average annual percentage change of age-standardised rate.

Results: In 2021, there were 6275.95 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 4215.90-8945.83) prevalent and 833.77 (95% UI: 575.08-1151.14) incident cases of asbestosis among adolescents and young adults, accounting for 3113.03 (95% UI: 2090.19-4071.12) DALYs. The age-standardised prevalence, incidence, and DALYs rate per 100 000 population was 0.21 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13-0.31), 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01-0.05), and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.07-0.14), respectively. The global age-standardised prevalence and incidence of asbestosis in adolescents and young adults had an upward trend, while the global age-standardised DALYs rate declined from 1990 to 2021. The burden of asbestosis among adolescents and young adults demonstrated heterogeneity among countries of different sociodemographic index (SDI) levels, with the most pronounced increase observed in high SDI countries. Regionally, Western Europe, Australasia, and High-income North America exhibited the most rapid escalation in asbestosis burden, whereas Eastern Europe experienced the greatest decline. Additionally, the global burden of asbestosis increased with age, peaking at 35-39 years. Males were more susceptible to early-onset asbestosis than females within the same age group.

Conclusion: Asbestosis remains a public health challenge among adolescents and young adults, with the age-standardised incidence increasing from 1990 to 2021, patricianly in high SDI countries. Our findings emphasise the urgent need for the implementation of asbestos ban worldwide.

Keywords: adolescents and young adults; asbestosis; epidemiology; global burden of disease study.