Acta Clin Belg. 2026 Jul 14:1-14. doi: 10.1080/17843286.2026.2701970. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that environmental and occupational risk factors (EORF) are significantly associated with its onset. However, the current global burden of CVD attributable to these exposures remains unclear.
METHOD: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, we estimated the number of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-standardized death and DALY rates attributable to EORF from 1990 to 2021. Estimates were stratified by sex, region, and year. Additionally, we assessed the association between the EORF-related CVD burden and sociodemographic index (SDI).
RESULT: We found that CVD mortality due to EORF increased from 4.42million in 1990 to 6.44 million in 2021 (95% UI: 4.99-7.77), representing a 45.7% increase, while DALYs rose from 103million in 1990 to 138 million in 2021 (95% UI: 109-165), marking a 34.0% rise. During this period, age-standardized death and DALY rates globally showed a downward trend, decreasing by 38.5% and 38.9% respectively. At the national and regional levels, Western Australia and high SDI regions in Australia demonstrated significant improvements in EORF-related CVD burden. Additionally, men exhibit higher CVD burdens compared to women.
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the overall burden of CVD attributable to EORF has increased substantially in the current population, highlighting significant room for improvement in prevention and control strategies. There is an urgent need to implement effective interventions targeting major EORF to mitigate the global CVD burden associated with these modifiable risks.
PMID:42444409 | DOI:10.1080/17843286.2026.2701970