The global burden of adolescent acne: trends from 1990 to 2021 and future projections to 2050

Introduction Adolescent acne poses unique therapeutic challenges and imposes a substantial burden. However, study of its global impact has been limited and neglected. Objective To analyze the global disease burden and epidemiologic trend of adolescent acne. Methods Data was extracted from the global burden of disease Study the 2021 database. All the analysis procedures graphic representation were undertaken by R statistical software and GraphPad Prism 9. Results The global burden of adolescent acne increased significantly from 1990 to 2021, with consistently higher rates observed in females compared to males. Meanwhile, both the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) and age-standardized YLD rate (ASDR) continued to rise significantly, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 0.7%, 0.6%, 0.6%. Population analysis revealed a unimodal age distribution, characterized by high burden among adolescent with the age of 11-14. National and Regional, the distribution of the disease burden was highly uneven. The global burden can be mostly attributed to epidemiological changes (58.7%), aging (40.0%). Significant regional disparities grouped by socio-demographic index (SDI) were observed. Projections indicate that by 2050, the incidence, ASIR, prevalence, ASPR, DALYs and ASDR of of adolescent acne will rise to 122 million, 4,265 per 100,000, 201 million, 7,015 per 100,000, 4.326 million and 151.2 per 100,000. Conclusion The study demonstrates a significant and growing global burden of adolescent acne from 1990 to 2021, underscoring the urgent need for targeted prevention and management strategies worldwide.