Background Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. We aimed to report the burden of liver cancer at the global, regional, and national levels in 204 countries from 1990 to 2019, stratified by etiology, sex, age, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Methods Data of mortality, incidence, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of liver cancer and its etiology were available from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study 2019. The trends in the liver cancer burden were assessed by the annual percentage change. All estimates are presented as numbers and age‐standardized rates (ASRs) per 100,000 population, with uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results Globally, 484,577 (95% UI 444,091–525,798) mortalities, 534,364 (486,550–588,639) incident cases, and 12,528,422 (11,400,671–13,687,675) disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) due to liver cancer occurred in 2019. The ASRs were 5.95 (5.44–6.44), 6.51 (5.95–7.16), and 151.08 (137.53–164.8) per 100,000 population for the mortalities, incidences, and DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the numbers increased, whereas the ASRs decreased. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are the major causes of liver cancer mortality. The liver cancer mortality in 2019 increased with age, peaking at 65–69 and 70–74 age group in males and females, respectively, and the number was higher in males than in females. Generally, there were nonlinear associations between the ASR and SDIs values at the regional and national levels. China had the highest numbers of mortalities, incident cases, and DALYs, whereas Mongolia has the highest ASR in 2019. Conclusion Liver cancer remains a major public health issue worldwide, but etiological and geographical variations exist. It is necessary to increase awareness of the population regarding liver cancer, its etiologies and the importance of early detection, and diagnosis and treatment.

Background Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide, and its burden has been changing. We report the level and trends of appendicitis prevalence, and incidence; and years lived with disability (YLD) in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019, based on data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Methods The numbers and age-standardized prevalence, incidence, and YLD rates per 100,000 population of appendicitis were estimated across regions and countries by age, sex, and sociodemographic index (SDI). All the estimates were reported with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results Globally, the age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates of appendicitis in 2019 were 8.7 (95% UI 6.9 to 11.0) and 229.9 (95% UI 180.9 to 291.0) per 100,000 population, with increases of 20.8% (95% UI 18.9 to 23.0%) and 20.5% (95% UI 18.7 to 22.8%) from 1990 to 2019, respectively. Additionally, the age-standardized YLDs rate was 2.7 (95% UI 1.8 to 3.9) in 2019, with an increase of 20.4% (95% UI 16.2 to 25.1%) from 1990 to 2019. In 2019, the age-standardized prevalence, incidence, and YLD rates peaked in the 15-to-19-year age groups in both male and female individuals. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the male and female individuals in all groups. Ethiopia, India, and Nigeria showed the largest increases in the age-standardized prevalence rate between 1990 and 2019. Generally, positive associations were found between the age-standardized YLD rates and SDI at the regional and national levels. Conclusions Appendicitis remains a major public health challenge globally. Increasing awareness of appendicitis and its risk factors and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment is warranted to reduce its the burden.

Background Hepatitis is a major public health challenge and a leading cause of death worldwide. We aimed to study the cause‐specific incidence and temporal trends of acute viral hepatitis (AVH). Methods Data on AVH etiologies were available from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify temporal trend in AVH age‐standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) by region, sex and aetiology. Results From 1990 to 2019, the global incidence of AVH increased by 8.02%, from 244 350 063 in 1990 to 263 951 645 in 2019, with an average decreasing ASIR of 0.52% (95% CI −0.58% to −0.45%) annually. The ASIR of AVH due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) decreased, while those of hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis E (HEV) remained stable, with EAPCs (95% CI) of −1.47 (−1.58 to −1.36), 0 (−0.09 to 0.09), −0.35 (−0.83 to −0.13), and −0.16 (−0.41 to 0.09) respectively. Although the number of new AVH cases increased in the low sociodemographic index (SDI), low‐middle SDI regions, the ASIRs decreased in all five SDI regions. Globally, HAV and HBV are the leading causes of acute hepatitis. The EAPC is significantly associated with a baseline ASIR of less than 5500 per 100 000 population (ρ = −0.44), and with the 2019 human development index (HDI) (ρ = 0.16) for AVH. Conclusions Although the ASIR of AVH showed a generally decreasing trend, the burden of AVH remains a major public health challenge globally. The findings may be helpful for policymakers in establishing appropriate policies to reduce the viral hepatitis burden.

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