In 2021, More Than 1 Million Deaths Attributed to Antimicrobial Resistance

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- From 1990 to 2021, the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) decreased for those younger than 5 years and increased for those older than 70 years, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in The Lancet.

Mohsen Naghavi and colleagues from the GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators estimated all-age and age-specific deaths and disability-adjusted life-years attributable to and associated with bacterial AMR for 22 pathogens, 84 pathogen-drug combinations, and 11 infectious syndromes from 1990 to 2021 in 204 countries and territories.

The authors estimated 4.71 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2021, including 1.14 million deaths attributable to bacterial AMR. During the study period, trends in AMR mortality varied considerably by age and location. From 1990 to 2021, there was a more than 50 percent decrease in deaths from AMR among children younger than 5 years and a more than 80 percent increase among adults aged 70 years and older. In all super-regions, AMR mortality decreased for children younger than 5 years, while increases were seen in AMR mortality in those aged 5 years and older. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus increased the most globally for both deaths associated with and deaths attributable to AMR (from 261,000 and 57,200 deaths in 1990, respectively, to 550,000 and 130,000 deaths in 2021, respectively). Resistance to carbapenems increased more than any other antibiotic class among Gram-negative bacteria. In 2050, an estimated 1.91 million deaths attributable to AMR and 8.22 million deaths associated with AMR could occur globally. South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean are forecasted to be super-regions with the highest all-age AMR mortality rate in 2050.

"Our reference forecasts suggest that without additional measures we will fail to hit the 10 percent reduction in AMR mortality proposed in the 10-20-30 by 2030 target," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text