Global, regional and national trends in the burden of intracranial hemorrhage, 1990–2021: Results from the Global Burden of Disease study

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a significant global public health issue that is characterized by a rapid start, severe symptoms, and a poor prognosis. It is the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke. We analyzed global intracranial hemorrhage incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and corresponding age-standardized rates (ASRs) and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) by using GBD 2021 data. The data were further stratified by age, sex, and region to assess the global burden of ICH from 1990 to 2021, providing the most up-to-date epidemiologic reference data for public health prevention and treatment strategies. In 2021, there were 3,444,300 (95 % UI, 305.30 to 381.20) new cases, 3,308,400 (302.11-359.47) deaths and 79,457,400 (7230.45-8548.02) DALYs. The burden of intracranial hemorrhage was higher in Oceania and Southeast Asia (Age-standardized DALY rates of 2582.46 per 100,000 and 1976.78 per 100,000), but lower in Australasia (126.59), high-income North America (221.19), and Western Europe (161.23). Of the 204 countries and territories globally, the burden of intracranial hemorrhage is higher in countries such as Nauru, Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands. From 1990 to 2021, global age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR), and age-standardized DALY rates (ASDR) declined, corresponding to EAPCs of -1.52, -1.63 and -1.75, with females declining more than males. In 2021, the most significant risk factor for ICH was high systolic blood pressure, accounting for 56.4 % of total DALYs for intracranial hemorrhage. Other major risk factors include: ambient particulate matter pollution, smoking, solid fuel pollution of household air, high sodium diet, and renal dysfunction. We need to target interventions at relevant risk factors, such as hypertension management, environmental particulate management, smoking cessation campaigns, focusing on high-risk groups and high-burden areas, and continue to deepen the implementation of the universal primary prevention strategy.