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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Burden of Neonatal Skin and Subcutaneous Diseases in Low-Income Countries
Li Zhang1, Liqin Zhu1, Wei Fan2
1Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Children and Adolescents' Health and Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
Background:
Neonates in low-income countries face a high burden of skin and subcutaneous diseases. We evaluated trends, inequalities, and future projections for these conditions from 1990 to 2035.
Methods:
Using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, we analyzed incidence rates and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) from 1990 to 2023 across 50 low-income countries. Inequalities were assessed using the slope and concentration indices, and frontier analysis was applied to identify high-burden outliers relative to the socio-demographic index (SDI). Trends were projected to the year 2035.
Results:
Between 1990 and 2023, the overall incidence rate in low SDI regions declined slightly (EAPC = -0.07, 95% CI -0.09 to -0.05). Disease-specific trends varied: scabies (EAPC = 0.45), pruritus (EAPC = 0.31), other skin and subcutaneous diseases (EAPC = 0.29), and bacterial skin diseases (EAPC = 0.06) increased, while fungal skin diseases decreased (EAPC = -0.50). Incidence rates were consistently higher among females. National incidence rates in 2023 ranged from 40,436.75 per 100,000 in Honduras to 98,996.08 in Nigeria. A strong inverse correlation with SDI was observed, and frontier analysis identified Ethiopia, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau as high-burden outliers. Projections to 2035 indicate total annual cases will rise to 2.84 million (95% UI 2.08-3.87 million), with continued increases for bacterial diseases (projected cases: 635,957) and scabies (412,427).
Conclusions:
The burden of neonatal skin diseases in low-income countries is substantial, unequal, and increasing for key conditions. Targeted prevention and management strategies integrated into primary neonatal care are urgently needed.
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