Global, Regional, and National Age-Sex-Specific Burden of Alcohol-Related Diseases, 1990-2021: A Comprehensive Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.
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OBJECTIVE: The burden of alcohol-related disease is substantial and varies across regions, age, and sexes. This study used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data to estimate the burden, with emphasis on changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: The study analyzed trends in prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALYs of alcohol-related diseases (alcohol use disorder [AUD], cirrhosis attributable to alcohol, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and liver cancer due to alcohol use) across sex, age groups (adolescents, young adults, women of childbearing age, the working-age population, the elderly), and sociodemographic index levels using annual percentage change and average annual percentage change. RESULTS: Globally, the prevalence of AUD increased by 31.44%, whereas the ASPR declined by 0.78% annually. China, India, and the United States bore the higher burden. The prevalence of cirrhosis due to alcohol increased by 73.69%, alcoholic cardiomyopathy increased by 48.24%, and liver cancer due to alcohol use also increased. Working-age populations had the largest absolute numbers of cirrhosis due to alcohol and alcoholic cardiomyopathy, whereas the elderly had higher ASMR of liver cancer due to alcohol use. Following 2019, improvements in most alcohol-related diseases decelerated, particularly in the working-age population, potentially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the urgent need for targeted policies on alcohol-related diseases, especially for vulnerable groups, considering regional, socioeconomic, and timely interventions to reduce the long-term health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.