Global incidence, prevalence and disease burden of silicosis: 30 years’ overview and forecasted trends

Abstract

Background Globally, silicosis accounts for 90% of all pneumoconiosis cases and is a serious public health issue. It is characterized by progressive inflammation and irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. A comprehensive analysis at temporal, spatial and population levels with the most updated data from GBD 2019 is provided in this study to estimate the disease burden of silicosis from 1990 to 2019 and make predictions to 2029. Methods We delineated silicosis data on incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as well as age-standardized rates (ASRs) across 30 years from GBD 2019. Joinpoint regression analysis was employed to detect temporal changes and estimate annual percentage change (APC) of each trend segment. Measures were stratified by time, location, age, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model was applied to elaborate ASR trends from 1990 to 2019 and projections to the next 10 years. Results Globally, silicosis incident, prevalent cases, and DALYs increased by 64.6%, 91.4%, and 20.8%, respectively. However, all the corresponding ASRs showed overall downward trends with an estimated average APC (AAPC) of -0.5(-0.7 to -0.3), -0.2(-0.5 to 0.0), and − 2.0(-2.2 to -1.8), respectively. Middle and high-middle SDI regions carried the heaviest disease burden. The highest disease burden of silicosis was mainly transferred to the older from 1990 to 2019. The trend of ASRs demonstrated a rapid decline between 2005 and 2019, followed by a continuous decline until 2029. Conclusion Though disease burden of silicosis has been on a decline in general from 1990 to 2019, which shows a promising prospect but cannot be ignored. We should pay more attention to implementing preventive tactics and improving the life quality of present sufferers.

Contemporary Concise Review 2023: Environmental and occupational lung diseases

“…All ASRs declined rapidly from 2005 to 2019 in the middle and high-middle sociodemographic index (SDI) regions, and the older population carried the highest disease burden in 2019. 175 There are three major types of silicosis: acute (silicoproteinosis), accelerated and chronic (Table 2). 121,171,[176][177][178][179][180] RCS exposure is associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and autoimmune diseases.…”

The novel molecular mechanism of pulmonary fibrosis: insight into lipid metabolism from reanalysis of single-cell RNA-seq databases

“…The incidence of PF is approximately 3–18 per 100,000 people in idiopathic PF (IPF) and 3–24 per 100,000 people in autoimmune PF [ 2 , 3 ]. Notably, global incidents of silicosis, a subtype of PF, have risen by 64.6%, from 84,821 cases in 1990 to 138,965 in 2019 [ 4 ]. PF encompasses various etiological subtypes, including IPF of unknown cause, connective tissue disease-related PF (notably systemic sclerosis and dermatomyositis patients, occupational PF (e.g., silica-related silicosis) due to environmental exposure, virus-induced PF (exemplified by SARS-CoV-2), and genetic spontaneous PF.…”

Trigonelline hydrochloride attenuates silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by orchestrating fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation

“…During the same period, there were 15,100 to 12,900 deaths. The prevalence and incidence of silicosis have been rising, especially in developing countries, although it's also a high-profile occupational health problem in developed countries [3][4][5]. Currently, only nintedanib and pirfenidone have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat pulmonary fibrosis.…”