Burden of Musculoskeletal Disorders - Global and BRICS+ Nations, 1990-2021

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are escalating in the BRICS+ nations. The BRICS+ countries include five primary members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and five new members of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Ethiopia by January 1st, 2024.

Utilizing the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database, the study measured MSK disorders burden through incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), segmented by location, sex, and disease type. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) from 1990 to 2021 was evaluated to track the burden changes.

In 2021, among BRICS+ nations, Brazil (2,267) and China (1,616) presented the highest and lowest age-standardized DALYs of MSK disorders per 100,000, respectively. Females had higher DALYs than males. The largest decrease and increase in age-standardized DALYs from 1990 to 2021 occurred in China (-2.35%) and Saudi Arabia (10.74%), respectively. Among all MSK disorders in 2021, low back pain (LBP) was the leading cause of the DALYs, while gout was the least contributor in BRICS+ nations. For males, the DALYs due to LBP, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), neck pain (NP), and other MSK disorders except gout were lower than those for females. From 1990 to 2021, age-standardized DALYs of MSK disorders exhibited a significant decreasing trend in China [AAPC=-0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.38, -0.30], no significant change in Brazil and South Africa, and a growth trend in other nations, with the largest increasing trend detected in Saudi Arabia (AAPC=0.33; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.34).

MSK disorders imposed a substantial burden on BRICS+ countries, particularly in Brazil and Iran, with distinct patterns requiring tailored healthcare policies and resource distribution.