Global, regional, and national burden of diseases associated with male reproduction from 1990 to 2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050

Abstract

Background

Urogenital congenital anomalies (UCA), Klinefelter syndrome (KS), and male infertility are three diseases inextricably related to male reproduction. It is of paramount importance to conduct a comprehensive and precise analysis of the burden of these three diseases and to predict their future trends.

Methods

We extracted data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database for UCA, KS, and male infertility from 1990 to 2021. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and prevalence were used to analyze the global, regional, and national burden of these three diseases. The Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) was used to assess the age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rates (ASDR). Finally, the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model was applied to predict the future trends of disease burden.

Results

Over the past 32 years, the ASPR and ASDR of KS and male infertility have shown an increasing trend, which is projected to continue through 2050. Meanwhile, the ASPR of UCA has increased, whereas its ASDR has decreased from 1990 to 2021. In 2021, the fastest increase in the ASPR of male infertility was observed in Low-middle Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, with an EAPC of 1.0 (95% CI 0.6, 1.4). For KS, the highest EAPC of ASPR was in High SDI regions, at 0.1 (95% CI 0.1, 0.2). The most rapid rise in the ASPR of UCA was seen in Middle SDI regions, with an EAPC of 0.2 (95% CI 0.1, 0.2).

Conclusions

UCA, KS, and male infertility have imposed a substantial burden on male reproduction. This situation compels the global community to collaborate in a concerted effort to address these challenges through targeted policies, the development of more streamlined and accurate diagnostic methods, and heightened public awareness.