Global, regional, and national burdens of traumatic brain injury in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years from 1990 to 2021

Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a critical global public health challenge, yet gaps in the evidence limit an understanding of its age-specific epidemiological profiles among adolescents and young adults. The aim of our analysis is to generate actionable evidence for tailoring prevention strategies and context-specific interventions aligned with the global epidemiological dataset in this population from 1990 to 2021. Methods We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, which reported on TBI-related years lived with disability (YLDs), prevalence, and annual average percentage change (AAPC) per 100,000 people. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify years with significant trend shifts. We also performed stratified analyses by age, sex, and sociodemographicindex (SDI). Furthermore, we used the Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model to project the TBI burden through 2030. Results From 1990 to 2021, the prevalence of TBI among adolescents and young adults decreased from 191·3 per 100,000 people [177 to 208·9] to 128·3 per 100,000 people [117·8 to 139·1] (AAPC -1·28 [95% CI-1·31 to -1·26], p