Global, Regional, and National Trends in Pruritus Burden from 1990 to 2021

Pruritus exerts a substantial negative impact on the quality of life of patients, yet comprehensive evaluations of its global disease burden remain limited. This study assessed the temporal trends in the burden of pruritus at global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2021.

Data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. Trends in age-standardized rate (ASR) of incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with pruritus were analyzed across geographic regions, sociodemographic index (SDI) levels, sex, and age groups. Further analyses included decomposition analysis, assessment of social inequalities, frontier analysis, and Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling.

In 2021, the global ASR of incidence, prevalence, and DALYs due to pruritus were 767.02 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 685.95-861.45), 986.45 (95% UI: 883.65-1,090.80), and 10.42 (95% UI: 5.05-19.04) cases per 100,000 population, respectively. Corresponding estimated annual percentage changes were 0.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34-0.36), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.35-0.37), and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.35-0.38). The burden was highest among females, elderly people, and populations in Southeast Asia and middle SDI regions. Population growth represented the primary driver of the increased burden. Over time, high SDI regions experienced a progressive rise in burden, while low SDI regions demonstrated closer alignment with burden control targets. Future projections indicate a substantial increase in incidence, particularly among patients aged over 60 years.

An upward trend in the global burden of pruritus was observed between 1990 and 2021, mainly caused by population growth. Moreover, the global incidence of pruritus will increase significantly in future. Public health management strategies need to pay particular attention to women, the elderly, Southeast Asia, the middle and high SDI region, and some countries with overly rapid growth rates, such as China, India, and Myanmar.