Global patterns of asthma burden related to environmental risk factors during 1990-2019: An age-period-cohort analysis for Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Abstract

Background: Change in asthma burden attributed to specific environmental risk factor has not been evaluated. Objective: We aimed to explore the age, period, and cohort effects on asthma burden attributable to smoking and occupational asthmagens in different socio-demographic index (SDI) areas and the regional and gender differences. Methods: Risk factor-specific asthma death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates were extracted from Global Burden of Disease study 2019, estimated by standard Combined Cause of Death Model and DisMod-MR 2.1 modeling tool. Age-period-cohort analysis was conducted to decompose age, period, and cohort effects on asthma burden. Results: Smoking- and occupational asthmagens-related asthma death and DALYs rates dropped by >45% during 1990-2019. In 2019, Africa, South and Southeast Asia had higher asthma burden than other regions, and male had higher asthma burden than female. Among nearly all age groups, low-middle SDI region had the highest smoking-related asthma burden, and low SDI region had the highest occupational asthmagens-related asthma burden. Inverse “V” shaped trend was observed in the above regions with increasing age. For smoking-related asthma death and DALYs rates, the most significant improvement of period rate ratios (RRs) occurred in high SDI area, decreased from 1.67 (1.61, 1.74) to 0.34 (0.33, 0.36) and 1.61 (1.57, 1.66) to 0.59 (0.57, 0.61), respectively, as well as the cohort effect on smoking-related asthma burden. For occupational asthmagens-related asthma death and DALYs rates, the most sharply decrease of period and cohort RRs appeared in the high and high-middle SDI region, respectively. Low SDI area showed least progress in period and cohort RRs of smoking- and occupational asthmagens-linked asthma burden. Conclusion: Smoking and occupational asthmagens-related asthma burden sharply decreases, but region and sex disparities exist. Policy makers from low SDI region should reinforce tobacco control and make more effort in occupational protection.