Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes and its risk factors in women of child-bearing age, from 1990 to 2021

Abstract

Objective: To present a detailed analysis of temporal trends in the burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) among women of childbearing age (WCBA) across global and regional levels from 1990 to 2021.

Study design: Population-based Study.

Methods: This study extracted prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and risk factors in WCBA from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was utilized to evaluate the evolving trends in the burden of DM.

Results: From 1990 to 2021, the global age-standardized prevalence of diabetes in WCBA rose from 1.80 % to 4.06 %, with an AAPC of 2.68 %. While the age-standardized prevalence of type 1 DM (T1DM) has grown and the age-standardized DALYs associated with T1DM declined from 51.8 to 47.4 per 100,000 population. Conversely, the age-standardized DALYs rate for type 2 DM (T2DM) nearly doubled from 183.8 to 353.8 per 100,000 population. The DALYs rate for total DM rose almost three times faster in countries with high-middle Sociodemographic Index (SDI) compared to those with low SDI (AAPC: 2.10 % versus 0.71 %). High fasting plasma glucose (HFPG) levels remained the most significant risk factor for DALYs, while high body-mass index (BMI) and low physical activity for T2DM exhibited the largest increases in this period.

Conclusions: From 1990 to 2021, a global upward trend in the prevalence of DM among WCBA has been observed. HFPG remains a major risk factor for both T1DM and T2DM, while high BMI and low physical activity have emerged as significant challenges in managing T2DM.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Epidemiology; Global burden of disease study; Risk factor; Women of childbearing age.