Global Trends and Disease Burden of Falls from 1990 to 2021: A Comprehensive Analysis across Regions and Countries

Background Falls are a common health issue and a major source of physical injuries, imposing significant burdens on individuals, families, and societies. This study aims to analyze the trends and associated disease burden of falls globally, across 21 regions, and in 204 countries from 1990 to 2021. Methods Utilizing the standardized Global Burden of Disease (GBD) methodology, we employed epidemiological data on the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of falls to represent the health burden caused by falls. We further stratified the data by different regions, countries, ages, and genders for detailed analysis. Results As of 2021, the age-standardized incidence (ASIR), mortality rate(ASMR), and disability-adjusted life years rate(ASDR) of falls globally showed a declining trend. The ASIR, ASMR and ASDR of falls increased with age. The incident cases, death cases, and DALYs of falls were higher in males than females in the 55–59, 76–79, and 66–69 age groups, but this trend reversed in older age groups. The ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR of falls globally show an overall declining trend. The trends of ASIR for falls in different Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions vary across periods, with a slight increase in ASIR in middle SDI regions. Additionally, the ASIR in high SDI regions is consistently the highest across periods, while the ASMR is higher in low SDI regions, and the ASDR is highest in low middle SDI regions. The ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR of falls in males globally are higher than those in females. From 1990 to 2021, the ASIR of falls shows a positive correlation with SDI overall, while the ASMR and ASDR show a negative correlation with SDI overall. Conclusion The study results indicate an improvement in the global burden of falls in 2021 compared to 1990. Various burden-related indicators such as ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR showed a decreasing trend. However, this decline was uneven across different regions and countries, with higher ASIR in high SDI regions and higher ASMR in low SDI regions. The incidence of falls is higher in the elderly, with higher incidence rates in elderly females compared to males. Future fall prevention efforts should focus on the incidence rates in high SDI regions and death rates in low SDI regions, especially among the elderly.