Global Burden of Rheumatic Heart Disease (1990-2021), Attributable Risk Factors, and Future Projections

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic valvular disorder caused by acute rheumatic fever. It mostly affects the mitral valve and leads to thickening. The present study employs the GBD (Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021) to analyze the global burden of RHD. The study investigates trends in incidence, prevalence, disability-adjusted life-years, and mortality from 1990 to 2021 across regions and 204 countries and territories, exploring difference with sex, age, and sociodemographic index. Two-sample Mendelian randomization identified high systolic blood pressure and high body mass index as causal risk factors for RHD. Although there was a slight increase in age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates, there was a decline in mortality and disability-adjusted life-year rates. Projections indicate a persistent upward trend in the incidence of the condition from 2022 to 2050. The findings emphasize the persistent global burden of RHD and underscore the necessity for targeted interventions.