Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics

Diabetes mellitus(DM) remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by high incidence and Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates. A comprehensive understanding of the disease burden of DM is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. This study analyze...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ciming Pan, Beiling Cao, Hui Fang, Yelu Liu, Shuhan Zhang, Wei Luo, Yuanjie Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Endocrinology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1596127/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1839646077870931968
author Ciming Pan
Beiling Cao
Hui Fang
Yelu Liu
Shuhan Zhang
Wei Luo
Yuanjie Wu
author_facet Ciming Pan
Beiling Cao
Hui Fang
Yelu Liu
Shuhan Zhang
Wei Luo
Yuanjie Wu
author_sort Ciming Pan
collection DOAJ
description Diabetes mellitus(DM) remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by high incidence and Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates. A comprehensive understanding of the disease burden of DM is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. This study analyzes the global burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study. In 2021, DM caused 1.66 million deaths, with age-standardized mortality rising by 7.95% since 1990. While Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) mortality declined by 29.24%, Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) accounted for 97.1% of deaths, with a 9.75% mortality increase. Geospatial analysis revealed extreme disparities: Pacific Island nations exhibited incidence rates >800/100,000, contrasting with <3/100,000 in Costa Rica and China. T1DM burden predominated in high-latitude regions (e.g., Finland), whereas T2DM mirrored overall DM distribution. DALYs for T2DM surged by 42.32%, disproportionately affecting Low-SDI regions. Age-stratified analyses identified distinct patterns: T2DM incidence peaked at 59–69 years, while T1DM DALYs peaked in early-middle adulthood (40–44 years). Risk factor hierarchies highlighted metabolic risks (e.g., high BMI) for T2DM and ambient temperature effects for T1DM. Despite progress in T1DM management, rising T2DM burden underscores urgent need for targeted prevention strategies addressing obesity, dietary risks, and environmental determinants. Study limitations include potential GBD data inaccuracies and ecological design constraints. These findings emphasize the imperative for region-specific interventions to mitigate the evolving diabetes pandemic.
format Article
id doaj-art-0dbd5ff5b8f94f9ca23da144f2d0c0a3
institution Matheson Library
issn 1664-2392
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Endocrinology
spelling doaj-art-0dbd5ff5b8f94f9ca23da144f2d0c0a32025-07-01T04:10:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922025-07-011610.3389/fendo.2025.15961271596127Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamicsCiming Pan0Beiling Cao1Hui Fang2Yelu Liu3Shuhan Zhang4Wei Luo5Yuanjie Wu6Hefei Xinzhuan High-tech Zone Huoshuiyuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, Outpatient Department, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaNanjing University of Chinese Medicine, First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing, Jiangsu, ChinaCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDepartment of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture and Tuina, the Second People's Hospital of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaPediatric Neurorehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan, ChinaCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, ChinaDiabetes mellitus(DM) remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by high incidence and Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates. A comprehensive understanding of the disease burden of DM is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. This study analyzes the global burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study. In 2021, DM caused 1.66 million deaths, with age-standardized mortality rising by 7.95% since 1990. While Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) mortality declined by 29.24%, Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) accounted for 97.1% of deaths, with a 9.75% mortality increase. Geospatial analysis revealed extreme disparities: Pacific Island nations exhibited incidence rates >800/100,000, contrasting with <3/100,000 in Costa Rica and China. T1DM burden predominated in high-latitude regions (e.g., Finland), whereas T2DM mirrored overall DM distribution. DALYs for T2DM surged by 42.32%, disproportionately affecting Low-SDI regions. Age-stratified analyses identified distinct patterns: T2DM incidence peaked at 59–69 years, while T1DM DALYs peaked in early-middle adulthood (40–44 years). Risk factor hierarchies highlighted metabolic risks (e.g., high BMI) for T2DM and ambient temperature effects for T1DM. Despite progress in T1DM management, rising T2DM burden underscores urgent need for targeted prevention strategies addressing obesity, dietary risks, and environmental determinants. Study limitations include potential GBD data inaccuracies and ecological design constraints. These findings emphasize the imperative for region-specific interventions to mitigate the evolving diabetes pandemic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1596127/fulldiabetes mellitusglobal burden of diseasedisability-adjusted life yearsgeospatial disparitiesrisk factors
spellingShingle Ciming Pan
Beiling Cao
Hui Fang
Yelu Liu
Shuhan Zhang
Wei Luo
Yuanjie Wu
Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
Frontiers in Endocrinology
diabetes mellitus
global burden of disease
disability-adjusted life years
geospatial disparities
risk factors
title Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
title_full Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
title_fullStr Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
title_full_unstemmed Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
title_short Global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990–2021: epidemiological trends, geospatial disparities, and risk factor dynamics
title_sort global burden of diabetes mellitus 1990 2021 epidemiological trends geospatial disparities and risk factor dynamics
topic diabetes mellitus
global burden of disease
disability-adjusted life years
geospatial disparities
risk factors
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1596127/full
work_keys_str_mv AT cimingpan globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT beilingcao globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT huifang globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT yeluliu globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT shuhanzhang globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT weiluo globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics
AT yuanjiewu globalburdenofdiabetesmellitus19902021epidemiologicaltrendsgeospatialdisparitiesandriskfactordynamics