Temporal trends of pediatric stroke burden attributable to non-optimal temperature in the United States, 1990-2019: An analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

Introduction: Pediatric stroke, though less common than in the elderly population, imposes a significant societal burden. With the increasing impact of climate change, this study aimed to assess the burden of different pediatric stroke subtypes attributable to non-optimal temperatures in the United States and estimate future trends. Methods: This study analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Database 2019. The pediatric stroke burden attributable to non-optimal temperatures was estimated by sex, age, and subtypes. R and Joinpoint were used to conduct the statistical analyses in this study. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Nationally, there has been a decrease in pediatric stroke death rate and DALY rate attributable to non-optimal temperature from 1990 to 2019, with an AAPC of -2.36 (95% UI: -3.06--1.66, p-value<0.05) for death and -2.45 (95% UI: -3.10--1.80,p-value<0.05) for DALY. Similar trends were observed across sexes, age groups, stroke subtypes, and most states. Conclusion: This study highlighted the pediatric stroke burden attributable to non-optimal temperature in the United States. More resources should be directed to address the geographic health disparities observed in this study.