ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1529506
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the Interplay Between Nutrition, Trace Elements, and Cardiovascular HealthView all 3 articles
The epidemiology and burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in China from 1990 to 2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2021
Provisionally accepted
- Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) significantly threatens the health of the Chinese population. Understanding its epidemiological burden is vital for targeted interventions.Methods: Using Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2021 data, we assessed Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), incidence, prevalence, and mortality of ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, and lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) in China in 2021. Joinpoint regression analyzed trends from 1990 to 2021, and risk factor contributions to the disease burden were evaluated.Findings: In 2021, age-standardized rates (ASRs) per 100,000 population for IHD (DALYs, incidence, prevalence, mortality) were 1856.5 (1548.7, 2159.8), 365.7 (293.3, 440.1), 3042.3 (2601.7, 3629.9), and 110.9 (92.4, 128.6), respectively, with males bearing a higher burden. For stroke, ASRs were 2648 (2253.4, 3076.9), 204.8 (181, 231.5), 1301.4 (1200.6, 1405.7), and 138 (116.7, 160.3), also higher in males. Lower extremity PAD showed ASRs of 8.4 (4.9, 14.3), 112.7 (97.8, 130.7), 1331.1 (1147.5, 1544.2), and 0.1 (0.1, 0.2), with a higher burden in females. Metabolic risks had the largest population‐attributable fraction.Conclusions: As of 2021, the epidemiological burden of IHD, stroke, and PAD in China remains substantial, with notable gender disparities. Metabolic risks significantly contribute to this burden.
Keywords: Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Peripheral Arterial Disease, China, disease burden
Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 11 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hou, Wu, Yang, Ye, Lv, Yang, Huang and Wang. 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: Shihan Wang, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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