Global, Regional, and National Burden of Neck Pain Among Adolescents and Young Adults, 1990-2021, and Projection to 2035: A Trend and Cross-Country Inequality Study
J Pain Res. 2026 Jun 22;19:581177. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S581177. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Neck pain (NP) as a common public disease results in significant suffering, handicap, and financial burden. We aim to investigate the trends as well as cross-country disparities of NP burden worldwide among adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years).
METHODS: Data of NP were gained from the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBD) 2021. We investigated trends of NP burden in 1990-2021 with global, regional, and national levels, and explored the NP burden by sociodemographic index (SDI), age distribution, and gender differences. Additionally, we assessed cross-country inequality and projected trends of NP burden through 2035.
RESULTS: According to GBD 2021, the worldwide NP burden among adolescents and young adults showed an ascending trend, with a continuously high global period prevalence from 1990 to 2021. South Asia reported the maximal number of prevalent, incident, as well as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) cases, meanwhile Tropical Latin America presented the highest age-standardized rates (ASR) of prevalence and DALYs, while North Africa and the Middle East reported the highest ASR of incidence. Decomposition analysis indicated that women accounted for 57.68% of DALYs cases of NP, while the Middle-SDI quintile contributed 32.57% DALYs cases. Projections suggest a continuous increase for case number in 2022-2035, while a slight rise is expected in most age groups for rate, except for a predicted decrease in the 35-39 age group.
CONCLUSION: Overall, NP global burden has demonstrated an upward trend in 1990-2021 and SDI-related inequalities worsening with time. This research underscores an increasing number of cases and distributive inequalities globally. These discoveries can provide an valuable insights for improving public health policies.
PMID:42376061 | PMC:PMC13312055 | DOI:10.2147/JPR.S581177