Burden of Disease Attributable to High Systolic Blood Pressure in Young Adults: An Analysis From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

This study aims to fill this gap by leveraging Global Burden of Disease 2021 (GBD 2021) data to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the disease burden attributable to high systolic blood pressure (SBP) in young adults. Data from the Global Health Data Exchange were utilized to estimate the disease burden attributable to high SBP in young adults, stratified by overall disease, sex, socio-demographic index (SDI) level, GBD region, nation, and specific disease. In 2021, the overall disease attributable to high SBP in young adults was substantial, with approximately 24,626,362 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and 477,992 deaths, and the DALYs and mortality rates were 623.68 and 12.11 per 100,000 populations, respectively. The DALYs and mortality rates of specific disease were highest for ischemic heart disease (IHD), followed by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and hypertensive heart disease (HHD). From 1990 to 2021, the DALYs and mortality rates for overall disease attributable to high SBP in young adults showed no significant change.However, there were greater declines in HHD and ICH, while the majority of diseases exhibited an upward trend. The DALYs and mortality rates for overall disease attributable to high SBP in young adults showed no significant change in females but increased in males. The SDI regions like middle and low-middle SDI regions, GBD regions like Oceania and Caribbean, and countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe presented the largest increases in the DALYs and mortality rates for overall disease attributable to high SBP in young adults. The trends for certain diseases attributable to high SBP in young adults, when analyzed by sex, SDI level, and region, diverge from the overall disease trends. This study highlights the significant overall disease burden attributable to high SBP in young adults. Despite an overall steady trend in the DALYs and mortality rates since 1990, significant disparities persist across overall diseases, sexes, SDI levels, regions, countries, and specific diseases. These disparities highlight the need for strategic interventions to reduce the health impact of high SBP in young adults.