Global, regional, and national burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Background: Hearing loss in children and adolescents is attracting increasing attention as a growing public health problem. This study aimed to analyze the burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021 to provide a new basis for further epidemiological research, disease prevention, and public health policy development.

Methods: The prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of hearing loss in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021 at the global, regional, and national levels were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess trends in prevalence and YLDs. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between sociodemographic index (SDI) and prevalence and YLDs.

Results: In 2021, approximately 97.83 million children and adolescents under the age of 20 years were affected by hearing loss globally, resulting in approximately 3.91 million YLDs. From 1990 to 2021, the prevalence rate increased from 3537 per 100,000 to 3711 per 100,000, with an EAPC of 0.15% (95% CI: 0.12-0.17). The burden of hearing loss was greater in low-middle-SDI region and low-SDI region. Mild hearing loss accounted for 62.1% of the total cases and was the predominant type of hearing loss. Otitis media was the leading preventable cause of hearing loss, with 46.9% of hearing loss attributed to otitis media. Moreover, in children under 5 years of age, 68.7% of hearing loss was attributed to otitis media. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the prevalence rates and YLDs rates of hearing loss were negatively correlated with the SDI (R = -0.57, P < 0.001; R = -0.64, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents has increased over the past three decades and remains high. The burden is greater in less economically developed countries or regions. Policymakers should pay attention to the increasing burden of hearing loss in children and adolescents and take targeted measures to control this burden.