Logo image
Global burden of adverse effects of medical treatment from 1990 to 2021: a Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
   

Global burden of adverse effects of medical treatment from 1990 to 2021: a Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

AEMT Collaborators, Yi Deun Jeong, Seoyoung Park, Wonwoo Jang, Mohammed A Alsabri Elochukwu Ezenwankwo
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, v 41(2)
01 Mar 2026
: https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2025.278
: 41850226

(1)

url
https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2025.278
Published, Version of Record (VoR), 
Adverse effect Global Burden of Disease Disability-adjusted life years Incidence Mortality
Background/Aims This study aims to evaluate the global burden of adverse effects of medical treatment (AEMT) using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021. Methods Data were extracted from the GBD 2021, covering 204 countries/territories from 1990 to 2021. AEMT was defined using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, encompassing complications from medical procedures, treatments, or healthcare exposures. Estimates were categorized into fatal and non-fatal outcomes and stratified by age, sex, year, and covariates, including the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Mortality-incidence ratios (MIRs), defined as the ratio of mortality calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the total incident cases, were analyzed. Results In 2021, the global age-standardized prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality rates of AEMT were 11.48 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 8.86–14.13), 150.44 (131.19–171.81), 64.19 (51.06–73.11), and 1.53 (1.29–1.68) per 100,000 population, respectively. DALY rates were highest in the early neonatal group (4,789.47 per 100,000 population [95% UI, 3,682.00–5,963.30]), while mortality rates followed a U-shaped pattern across age groups. In 2021, MIRs were highest at both ends of the age range: the early neonatal group (0.58 [95% UI, 0.55–0.58]) and the 95+ age group (0.05 [0.04–0.06]). This pattern was consistent across all SDI quintiles, with higher MIRs observed in lower SDI quintiles. Conclusions The significantly higher prevalence and incidence rates of AEMT among the older population in high SDI quintiles, compared to lower SDI quintiles, could be attributed to the healthcare overutilization, highlighting the need for policy adjustments.
1
Logo image