Changes in the global burden of polycystic ovary syndrome from 1990 to 2021

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic, multifaceted condition influenced by epigenetic and environmental factors that is responsible for a significant proportion of anovulatory infertility cases. Here, we analyzed the global, regional, and national burdens of PCOS from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 (GBD 2021). METHODS Incidence, prevalence, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) data relevant to PCOS from 204 countries and 21 territories from 1990 to 2021 were obtained from the GBD 2021 study. Here, we considered age-standardized rates (per 100,000 individuals) with 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UIs) obtained from the aforementioned research and presented trends based on age and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) parameters. RESULTS Global age-standardized incidence and prevalence of PCOS in 2021 were reported at 30.7 and 867.7 per 100,000, respectively, revealing increases of 26.77% and 28.21%, respectively, since 1990. Additionally, age-standardized disability-adjusted life years stood at 7.6 per 100,000 globally in 2021, marking a 27.58% increase from 1990. Age-standardized prevalence of PCOS varied across countries, ranging from 93.1 to 3978.9 cases per 100,000 women, with Italy (3978.9), Japan (3104.7), and New Zealand (2789.7) having the highest rates. Notably, PCOS prevalence was noted to peak globally among females 15–19 years of age. Regions with a high SDI exhibited the highest age-standardized incidence (70.2), prevalence (1720.7), and death (15.2) rates of PCOS. Furthermore, a nonlinear correlation between PCOS burden and SDI was noted, with prevalence rates peaking around an SDI of approximately 0.9. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the growing global impact of PCOS and underscore the need for concerted efforts to attenuate the increasing global prevalence of this condition. Significantly divergent PCOS disease burdens were observed across different age groups and SDI regions, with high SDI regions bearing heavier burdens. The increased disease burden among younger age groups and regional disparities underscore urgency for targeted intervention and formulation of policies to effectively address this public health issue.