Global, regional, and national disease burden attributable to high systolic blood pressure in youth and young adults: 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study analysis

BACKGROUND: High systolic blood pressure (HSBP) can cause adverse cardiovascular events and is therefore associated with a heavy global disease burden. However, this disease burden is poorly understood in youth and young adults. We aimed to explore this population to better understand the evolving trends in HSBP-related disease burden, which is crucial for effectively controlling and mitigating harmful effects. METHODS: This systematic analysis used data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study, spanning 1990-2021. Participants were aged 15-39 years from 204 countries/territories. We analysed HSBP-related disease burden by region, sex, age, and temporal trends. The primary outcomes were disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), mortality rates, and estimated annual percentage change. RESULTS: Globally, the number of HSBP-related deaths among youth and young adults has increased by 36.11% (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI], 20.96-52.37%), whereas the number of DALYs has increased by 37.68% (95% UI, 22.69-53.65%); however, global mortality and DALY rates have remained relatively stable. In 2021, the mortality and DALY rates were 4.29 (95% UI, 3.29-5.28) and 263.37 (95% UI, 201.40-324.46) per 100,000 population, respectively. The overall HSBP-related burden was higher in males than in females, with increasing and decreasing trends for males and females, respectively. Regionally, significant improvements in HSBP-related burden were observed in most high-sociodemographic index (SDI) regions, including high-income Asia Pacific (deaths: percentage change, - 72.65%; DALYs: percentage change, - 69.30%) and Western Europe (deaths: percentage change, - 72.89%; DALYs: percentage change, - 67.48%). In contrast, middle-SDI regions had the highest number of deaths and DALYs in 2021, whereas low-middle-SDI regions had the highest mortality and DALY rates. Furthermore, low-SDI regions experienced the largest increase in the number of deaths and DALYs. The HSBP-related burden increased with age; in addition, the proportion of deaths or DALYs due to ischaemic heart disease and stroke increased with age, reaching > 75% for those > 25 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in global HSBP-related burden among youth and young adults indicates that current preventative efforts are insufficient. Therefore, targeted measures are needed to counter the trends in HSBP-related diseases and reduce disparities across regions and sexes.