An Analysis of Trends in the Burden of Maternal Hemorrhage Attributable to Iron Deficiency in China from 1990 to 2023: A Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the burden of maternal hemorrhage (MH) attributable to iron deficiency in China from 1990 to 2023.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study utilized the data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 to analyze the disease burden associated with maternal hemorrhage attributable to iron deficiency in China. Joinpoint and age-period-cohort (APC) analysis were employed to assess the trend of the disease burden. Decomposition analysis was conducted to evaluate the unique contributions of changes in population age structure, population growth, and epidemiological trends to the disease burden trend.

RESULTS

From 1990 to 2023, the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of MH attributable to iron deficiency in China decreased from 2.08 to 0.03 (thousands) and 130.15 to 1.93 (thousands), respectively. The age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) decreased from 18.72 to 0.33 (per 100000 population) and from 0.30 to 0(per 100000 population), respectively. The ASMR and ASDR showed a downward trend (p < 0.001). The APC analysis showed that the mortality rate and DALYs rate first increased and then decreased with age. The mortality rate and DALYs rate decreased over time. The cohort effect showed that from the early birth cohort to the late birth cohort, the mortality rate and DALYs rate generally showed a downward trend. Decomposition analysis indicated that the changes in population age structure and epidemic trends had a significant impact on the decline in the mortality rate and DALYs rate.

CONCLUSION

Although the overall disease burden of maternal hemorrhage attributable to iron deficiency in China has shown a downward trend, the disease situation remains severe. Iron deficiency among women of different age groups in China, especially those in the 20-39 age range, has led to a serious burden of maternal hemorrhage.