Fungal Skin Disease Incidence, Prevalence and Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Four Asian Countries (1990-2019)

BackgroundFungal skin diseases are a significant burden in Asia, with varying trends from 1990 to 2019, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.ObjectiveTo investigate long-term trends in the incidence, prevalence and disability-adjusted life-year rates for fungal skin diseases in China, India, Japan and Singapore from 1990 to 2019.Patients/MethodsData were obtained from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study. Independent age, period and cohort effects were calculated using age-period-cohort analysis.ResultsAge-standardised incidence, prevalence and disability-adjusted life-year rates of fungal skin diseases in China, India, Japan and Singapore decreased from 1990 to 2019. India has the highest standardised incidence, prevalence and disability-adjusted life-year rates. The crude incidence, prevalence and disability-adjusted life-year rates showed an increasing trend in China, Japan and Singapore, and a decreasing trend in India. The age-period-cohort analysis found that the age effect increased in China, Japan and Singapore at ages 45-94 years, and India showed higher risk coefficients at ages 5-20 and 45-94 years. The period effect increased in the four countries, with more pronounced increases in Japan and Singapore. The cohort effect showed a monotonic decline with birth cohort in the four countries, with a slightly slower decline in India.ConclusionFungal skin diseases pose a serious burden in Asian countries. We recommend raising awareness and providing specialised interventions for fungal skin diseases, especially for high-risk groups, such as middle-aged and older adults aged <= 45 years and young Indians aged <= 20 years.