Key result
Global DALYs linked to high pediatric systolic blood pressure fall ~20% from 1990 to 2021.
Why the study?
Childhood hypertension is strongly associated with adult cardiovascular disease, making understanding epidemiological patterns of disease burden crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
Cross-Sectional
While the global burden of high systolic blood pressure in youth has generally declined since 1990, significant regional disparities persist, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Declining global pediatric hypertension DALY rates support surveillance; leaves open regional drivers and prevention needs.
Childhood hypertension is strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Understanding the epidemiological patterns of disease burden is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, including 204 countries and territories. The analysis estimated deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and years of life lost (YLLs) attributable to high systolic blood pressure (sBP) among individuals under the age of 20 within the GBD comparative risk assessment (CRA) framework, covering the period from 1990 to 2021. Trends and regional disparities in disease burden were examined, emphasizing correlations between DALY rates and socio-demographic indices (SDI). In 2021, the global DALY rate was 2.39 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 1.75 to 2.88) per 100,000 population, representing a 20.11% decrease (95% UI, −35.02 to 10.21) compared to 1990. The YLL rate showed a decrease of 21.06% (95% UI, −36.21 to 9.95), contributing to the decline in the DALY rate, whereas the YLD rate showed an increase of 22.33% (95% UI, 4.16 to 40.74). The DALY rates were negatively correlated with Socio-demographic Index. Among the 21 GBD regions in 2021, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) showed the highest disease burden across all metrics. Western Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) demonstrated a pronounced gender disparity. High-income North America experienced the largest increase in disease burden. Global DALYs and deaths attributable to high sBP among children and adolescents suggested a declining trend from 1990 to 2021, although the 95% UIs were compatible with no clear change. DALYs showed a negative correlation with SDI, with highest burden in MENA and notable gender disparities in Western SSA. High-income North America showed the largest increase since 1990.
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Chu et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in High systolic blood pressure (childhood hypertension). High systolic blood pressure vs. 1990 baseline was evaluated on Global DALY rate per 100,000 population (-20.11% change, 95% CI -35.02 to 10.21). The global disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate attributable to high systolic blood pressure among children and adolescents decreased by 20.11% from 1990 to 2021, reaching 2.39 per 100,000.
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