The Global Burden of Sexually Transmitted Infections Estimated from 1990 to 2019

Abstract

Background:To explore the burden of sexually transmitted infections at national, regional, and global levels from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study database. Methods: The number of cases and age-standardized rate of prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years were used for a descriptive study of sexually transmitted infections burden from 1990 to 2019, and secular trends were assessed by counting the estimated annual percentage change. Finding:The global prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in 2019 was 128.82 million. There were 58.15% new cases than in 1990. The disability-adjusted life year burden of sexually transmitted infections was lower among males than females and peaks among under 5 and 15- to 44-year-olds. In 2019, the global disability-adjusted life year loss was mostly attributed to years of life lost (88.23%), the higher the social development index developed, the more the number of years lived with disability contributed. In 21 regions, the age-standardized rates of disability-adjusted life year (per 100, 000 population) showed that the Caribbean remained on top. At a national level, a decreasing trend of the estimated annual percentage change of disability-adjusted life year rate had been observed. Syphilis was proved as a leading cause of heavy disease burden, which carried almost 85.9% of it. The age-standardized rates of disability-adjusted life year were in positive correlation with the human development index in 2019 and had a negative correlation with the estimated annual percentage change in 1990. Conclusion: A declining trend of sexually transmitted infections was observed globally; prevention of syphilis remained a crucial strategy in the course of reducing sexually transmitted infections burden. The findings from this research can help to establish appropriate health policy and reduce the disease burden further.