Global, regional, and national burden and trends of tension-type headache among adolescents and young adults (15-39 years) from 1990 to 2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease study 2021

Abstract

The prevalence of tension-type headache (TTH) is extremely high worldwide, but comprehensive global epidemiological studies targeting the specific age group of 15-39 years remain relatively limited. This study utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 (GBD 2021) study to analyze the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with TTH, and identified temporal trends using the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). The study also investigated the association between the burden of TTH and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). From 1990 to 2021, the global burden of TTH increased, with a 38% rise in prevalence cases and incidence cases. Across SDI regions, middle SDI region experienced the most significant growth in TTH cases, while high SDI regions showed a decline. Globally, the 35-39 age group faces a more severe disease burden, with prevalence cases at 188.27 (95% UI: 123.88-252.96) million, incidence cases at 61.82 (95% UI: 39.02-87.97) million, and DALYs cases at 461.94 (95% UI: 118.38-1494.8) thousand. From 1990 to 2021, the global epidemiological burden of TTH has shown a sustained increase. The most pronounced rise occurred in middle SDI regions, highlighting the urgent need for targeted public health strategies to enhance the quality of life among AYAs affected by TTH.

Keywords: Disability-adjusted life years; Epidemiological trends; Global Burden of Disease; Socio-demographic index; Tension-type headache.

Fig. 1

Temporal trend of tension-type headache burden in adolescents and young adults in globally and 5 territories. (A) Percentage change in cases of prevalent, incident, and DALYs in 1990 and 2021. (B) The EAPC of prevalence, incidence, and DALY rates from 1990 to 2021. (C) The rates of prevalence from 1990 to 2021. (D) The rates of incidence from 1990 to 2021. (E) The rates of DALYs from 1990 to 2021.

Fig. 2

Temporal trend of tension-type headache burden in adolescents and young adults in regions. (A) Prevalence rate per 100,000 population in 1990 and 2021. (B) Percentage change in cases of prevalent, incident, and DALYs in 1990 and 2021. (C) EAPC of rates of prevalent, incident, and DALYs from 1990 to 2021.

Fig. 3

Temporal trend of tension-type headache burden in adolescents and young adults globally. (A) Percentage change in prevalent cases across 204 countries in 1990 and 2021. (B) EAPC in prevalent rates across 204 countries from 1990 to 2021.

Fig. 4

Temporal trend of tension-type headache burden in adolescents and young adults by age pattern in different regions. (A) Prevalent cases of 5 age groups (15–39 years, 5-year intervals) from 1990 to 2021 globally and in 5 territories (low to high SDI). (B) The distribution of prevalent cases across 5 age groups as percentages globally, in 5 territories, and 21 GBD regions in 1990 and 2021. (C) Percentage change in prevalent cases of 5 age groups globally and in 5 territories in 1990 and 2021. (D) EAPC of prevalent rates of 5 age groups globally and in 5 territories from 1990 to 2021. E Analysis of the prevalence rates of tension-type headache disease burden by gender and age structure in 2021.

Fig. 5

The associations between the SDI and prevalent rates per 100,000 population of tension-type headache in adolescents and young adults across 21 GBD regions.