ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Epidemiol.
Sec. Clinical Epidemiology
Temporal Trends and Global Burden of Urolithiasis: A Comparative Analysis of Incidence, Prevalence, Mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years in China and Globally from 1990 to 2021
Provisionally accepted
Linlin Chen*
Chao Ma- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou Henan, China
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Background: Urolithiasis significantly affects global health, contributing to substantial morbidity, healthcare costs, and reduced quality of life. Understanding temporal changes in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rates (ASDR) associated with urolithiasis is crucial for public health planning. However, few studies have systematically compared national and global trends, particularly in countries undergoing rapid healthcare transformation, such as China. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease database from 1990 to 2021, we assessed the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), prevalence rate (ASPR), mortality rate (ASMR), and ASDR associated with urolithiasis in China and globally. Joinpoint regression was used to identify trend changes, and sex-specific subgroup analyses were performed. Results: From 1990 to 2021, China showed substantial declines in all burden metrics: ASIR (− 1.99%), ASPR (−1.99%), ASMR (−3.83%), and ASDR (−3.27%). Global declines were more modest: ASIR (−0.81%), ASPR (−0.81%), ASMR (−1.20%), and ASDR (−1.05%). Males consistently bore a higher burden. Conclusions: The burden of urolithiasis has declined markedly from 1990 to 2021, with China showing greater improvements than the global average. This divergence suggests that systemic health reforms and expanded coverage may have contributed to the observed trends. Comparative findings imply that promoting equitable access to prevention and early intervention could be beneficial, particularly in resource-limited settings.
Keywords: Urolithiasis, Age-standardized rates, Incidence, Prevalence, Mortality, Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), Healthcare Disparities, sex-specific analysis
Received: 01 Sep 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Linlin Chen, 13676952921@163.com
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