Abstract:
Objective To analyze trends in the disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus-associated lower respiratory tract infections (RSV-LRTIs) among children aged 0 to 14 years old in China from 1990 to 2021, and to predict the disease burden for the period of 2022 to 2030.
Methods Based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database, data on deaths, mortality rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and DALYs rates for RSV-LRTIs among Chinese children aged 0 to 14 years old were extracted. The disease modelling meta-regression tool—DisMod-MR 2.1 was employed for data modelling to estimate RSV-LRTIs mortality rates and DALYs rates, along with their 95% uncertainty intervals (UI). Joinpoint regression analyses were employed to calculate annual percentage change (APC), average annual percentage change (AAPC), and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), in order to analyze trends in mortality and DALYs rates over time from 1990 to 2021. A Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model was employed to predict the disease burden for 2022 to 2030.
Results From 1990 to 2021, the number of deaths from RSV-LRTIs among children aged 0 to 14 years old in China decreased from 24 738 to 400, with the mortality rate falling from 7.8/100 000 to 0.2/100 000; DALYs decreased from 2 211 155 person-years to 35 958 person-years, with the DALYs rate falling from 694.5/100 000 to 13.8/100 000. The number of deaths, mortality rates, DALYs, and DALYs rates were all higher in boys than in girls. In 2021, the highest number of deaths and DALYs occurred among infants aged 1 to 5 months, while the highest mortality rates and DALYs rates were observed among newborns (<28 days). Joinpoint regression analyses indicated significant reductions in mortality rates and DALYs rates across all three periods: 1990‒1993, 1993‒2002, 2002‒2019, and 2019‒2021 (P<0.001), with the most pronounced decline occurring from 2019 to 2021. Prodictions indicate that the age-standardized mortality rate for children aged 0 to 14 years old in China will decrease to 0.000 9/100 000 (95%CI: 0.000 2‒0.001 7) from 2022 to 2030.
Conclusion The disease burden of RSV-LRTIs among Chinese children aged 0 to 14 years old declined from 1990 to 2021. The disease burden was higher in boys than in girls. Children under 5 years of age, particularly infants under six months and newborns (<28 days), constituted high-risk groups. Age-standardized mortality rate is predicted to continue decreasing from 2022 to 2030. Sustained efforts to strengthen surveillance and prevention measures for infants and young children remain essential.