Global, regional, and national burden of benign upper gastrointestinal diseases in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years, 1990–2021

Background Benign upper gastrointestinal diseases (BUGDs) represent an underrecognized health burden among children and adolescents. We examined global temporal trends in BUGDs in this population.Methods This study was a cross-sectional analysis based on data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2021. Data on age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rates (ASDR) for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis and duodenitis (GD), and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) among individuals aged 5–19 years were extracted from the GBD database. Trends and disparities were assessed using estimated annual percentage change, inequality, and correlation analyses.Results Between 1990 and 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDR) of GERD showed slight increases, whereas those of GD and PUD declined, particularly PUD. Females had higher burdens of GERD, GD, and PUD than males. The burdens of GERD and PUD increased with age, whereas the burden of GD remained relatively stable across age groups. Inequality analyses suggested that both relative and absolute inequalities were evident across all three diseases, with PUD showing the greatest inequality. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the ASIR and ASDR of GERD and PUD and the ASDR of GD were negatively correlated with the socio-demographic index (SDI).Conclusions BUGDs remain a significant health concern in children and adolescents, especially among females, older adolescents, and populations in lower-SDI regions. Future prevention and control strategies should be tailored by disease subtype to mitigate regional disease‑burden disparities and promote global health equity among children and adolescents.