Global, regional, and national burdens of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission 1990–2019: an observational study
Xinsheng Wu A # , Xinyi Zhou B C # , Yuanyi Chen B C # , Yi-Fan Lin D # , Yuwei Li B C , Leiwen Fu B C , Qi Liu B C and Huachun Zou
A E F *
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B
C
D
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Handling Editor: Somesh Gupta
Abstract
Sexual transmission accounts for a substantial proportion of HIV infections. Although some countries are experiencing an upward trend in HIV infections, there has been a lack of studies assessing the global burden of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission. We assessed the global, regional, and national burdens of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission from 1990 to 2019.
Data on deaths, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019 were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019. The burdens and trends were evaluated using the age-standardised rates (ASR) and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC).
Globally, HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission accounted for ~695.8 thousand (95% uncertainty interval 628.0–811.3) deaths, 33.0 million (28.7–39.9) YLLs, 3.4 million (2.4–4.6) YLDs, and 36.4 million (32.2–43.1) DALYs in 2019. In 2019, Southern sub-Saharan Africa (11350.94), Eastern sub-Saharan Africa (3530.91), and Western sub-Saharan Africa (2037.74) had the highest ASR of DALYs of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission per 100,000. In most regions of the world, the burden of HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission has been increasing from 1990 to 2019, mainly in Oceania (EAPC 17.20, 95% confidence interval 12.82–21.75), South Asia (9.00, 3.94–14.30), and Eastern Europe (7.09, 6.35–7.84).
HIV/AIDS acquired through sexual transmission results in a major burden globally, regionally, and nationally.
Keywords: disability-adjusted life years (DALY), Eastern Europe, global burden of disease, HIV/AIDS, Oceania, sexual transmission, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa.
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