Global burden of adverse effects of medical treatment from 1990 to 2021: a global burden of disease Study 2021
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
<jats:p>Background/Aims: This study aims to evaluate the global burden of adverse effects of medical treatment (AEMT) using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021.Methods: Data were extracted from the GBD 2021, covering 204 countries/territories from 1990 to 2021. AEMT was defined using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, encompassing complications from medical procedures, treatments, or healthcare exposures. Estimates were categorized into fatal and non-fatal outcomes and stratified by age, sex, year, and covariates, including the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Mortality-incidence ratios (MIRs), defined as the ratio of mortality calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the total incident cases, were analyzed.Results: In 2021, the global age-standardized prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality rates of AEMT were 11.48 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 8.86–14.13), 150.44 (131.19–171.81), 64.19 (51.06–73.11), and 1.53 (1.29–1.68) per 100,000 population, respectively. DALY rates were highest in the early neonatal group (4,789.47 per 100,000 population [95% UI, 3,682.00–5,963.30]), while mortality rates followed a U-shaped pattern across age groups. In 2021, MIRs were highest at both ends of the age range: the early neonatal group (0.58 [95% UI, 0.55–0.58]) and the 95+ age group (0.05 [0.04–0.06]). This pattern was consistent across all SDI quintiles, with higher MIRs observed in lower SDI quintiles.Conclusions: The significantly higher prevalence and incidence rates of AEMT among the older population in high SDI quintiles, compared to lower SDI quintiles, could be attributed to the healthcare overutilization, highlighting the need for policy adjustments.</jats:p>
Date Issued
2026-03-01
Date Acceptance
2025-09-04
Citation
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, 2026, 41 (2), pp.350-366
ISSN
1226-3303
Publisher
The Korean Association of Internal Medicine
Start Page
350
End Page
366
Journal / Book Title
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine
Volume
41
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Korean Association of Internal Medicine (open-access): This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41850226
PII: kjim.2025.278
Subjects
Adverse effect
Disability-adjusted life years
Global Burden of Disease
Incidence
Mortality
Humans
Incidence
Global Burden of Disease
Female
Disability-Adjusted Life Years
Male
Infant
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Aged
Adult
Child, Preschool
Infant, Newborn
Young Adult
Child
Adolescent
Aged, 80 and over
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Korea (South)
Date Publish Online
2026-03-01