Long-term spatio-temporal trends in burden of fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people from 1990 to 2021

BACKGROUND: As a high incidence group, the elderly face the burden of fungal skin diseases, which has remained poorly quantified. This study aims to analyse the spatiotemporal trends in the burden of fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. This study analysed incident cases, prevalent cases, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and their corresponding rates for fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people stratified by sex, age, socio-demographic index (SDI), GBD regions, and countries. Average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated to assess temporal trends in the burden of fungal skin diseases. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2021, the global incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates of fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people were consistently higher than those in the entire population. Globally, incident cases, prevalent cases, and DALYs of fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people increased by 124.09%, 124.13%, and 123.26%, respectively. In 2021, the incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates were 38255.44 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 32832.61-44492.76), 12186.46 (95% UI: 10721.21-14030.06), and 64.66 (95% UI: 26.34-133.26) per 100,000 population, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, the incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates exhibited overall upward trends, with AAPCs of 4.12% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.04%-5.20%), 4.18% (95% CI: 3.11%-5.24%), and 2.89% (95% CI: 1.89%-3.89%), respectively. Geographically, the highest burden was concentrated in Andean Latin America, Australasia, and Western Europe. CONCLUSIONS: The global burden of fungal skin diseases in middle-aged and elderly people has increased over the past three decades, with significant disparities across sexes, SDI levels, regions, and countries. Targeted public health interventions and resource allocation are required to reduce the burden of fungal skin diseases in this vulnerable population.