Abstract WP018: Burden of ischemic stroke in the Western Pacific region and its association with human resources for health, 1990–2021: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study

Background: This study aimed to analyze the burden of ischemic stroke in the Western Pacific region and its changes, and to explore the trend in the density of human resources for health (HRH) and its association with IS burden. Methods: Data on IS deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, and the annual density of HRH was retrieved from GBD 2019. Spearman rank correlation analysis and generalized linear models were used to examine the relationship between IS burden and HRH density. Results: The number of IS deaths in the Western Pacific region increased from 592,500 in 1990 to 1,421,800 in 2021 and DALYs rose from 13.0357 million to 27.9891 million. Vietnam had the highest age-standardized rate of IS deaths (95.91 per 100,000) while Singapore had the lowest (6.97 per 100,000), a difference of approximately 14-fold. The age-standardized DALY rate varied from the highest of 1,642.27 per 100,000 in Vietnam to the lowest of 205.84 per 100,000 in Singapore. In 2019, there were significant differences in HRH density among the 31 countries in this region. The highest was in Australia and the lowest was in Papua New Guinea, where the density was approximately 20-fold lower. From 1990 to 2019, HRH density increased in all countries, with the Solomon Islands showing the largest increase (5.86%, 95% CI 5.71-5.97). In 2019, total HRH density was negatively correlated with the age-standardized rate of IS deaths (r = -0.6465, P < 0.001) and DALYs (r = -0.7017, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Over the past three decades, IS caused an unacceptably substantial number of deaths and DALYs in the Western Pacific region, but the age-standardized rate of IS deaths and DALYs had an improvement in most countries. The HRH density was negatively related to the burden of IS, suggesting that improving the allocation of medical human resources may be an important strategy for reducing the burden of IS.