Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Yves Miel H. Zuniga; Alimuddin Zumla; Liesl J. Zuhlke; Mohammad Zoladl; Boback Ziaeian; Chenwen Zhong; Xiu Ju George Zhao; Zhi Jiang Zhang; Jianrong Zhang; Nejimu Biza Zepro; Getachew Assefa Zenebe; Jean David Zeitoun; Zelalem Banjaw Zegeye; Mikhail Sergeevich Zastrozhin; Zahra Zareshahrabadi; Kourosh Zarea; Ali Zare Dehnavi; Iman Zare; Moein Zangiabadian; Alireza Zangeneh; Nelson Zamora; Sojib Bin Zaman; Nazar Zaki; Farima Zakaryaei; Mazyar Zahir; Farbod Zahedi Tajrishi; Vesna Zadnik; Siddhesh Zadey; Hossein Yusefi; Taraneh Yousefinezhadi; Zabihollah Yousefi; Mustafa Z. Younis; Yuyi You; Naohiro Yonemoto; Dong Keon Yon; Eshetu Yisihak; Paul Yip; Vahit Yigit; Arzu Yigit; Siyan Yi; Pengpeng Ye; Fereshteh Yazdanpanah; Sanni Yaya; Yuichiro Yano; Lin Yang; Kazumasa Yamagishi; Tomohide Yamada; Seyed Hossein Yahyazadeh Jabbari; Gahin Abdulraheem Tayib Yahya Yahya; Sajad Yaghoubi; GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators; Rajesh Kamath; Cecilia Anza-Ramirez

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x

Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Yves Miel H. Zuniga, Alimuddin Zumla, Liesl J. Zuhlke, Mohammad Zoladl, Boback Ziaeian, Chenwen Zhong, Xiu Ju George Zhao, Zhi Jiang Zhang, Jianrong Zhang, Nejimu Biza Zepro, Getachew Assefa Zenebe, Jean David Zeitoun, Zelalem Banjaw Zegeye, Mikhail Sergeevich Zastrozhin, Zahra Zareshahrabadi, Kourosh Zarea, Ali Zare Dehnavi, Iman Zare, Moein Zangiabadian, Alireza ZangenehNelson Zamora, Sojib Bin Zaman, Nazar Zaki, Farima Zakaryaei, Mazyar Zahir, Farbod Zahedi Tajrishi, Vesna Zadnik, Siddhesh Zadey, Hossein Yusefi, Taraneh Yousefinezhadi, Zabihollah Yousefi, Mustafa Z. Younis, Yuyi You, Naohiro Yonemoto, Dong Keon Yon, Eshetu Yisihak, Paul Yip, Vahit Yigit, Arzu Yigit, Siyan Yi, Pengpeng Ye, Fereshteh Yazdanpanah, Sanni Yaya, Yuichiro Yano, Lin Yang, Kazumasa Yamagishi, Tomohide Yamada, Seyed Hossein Yahyazadeh Jabbari, Gahin Abdulraheem Tayib Yahya Yahya, Sajad Yaghoubi, GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators, Rajesh Kamath, Cecilia Anza-Ramirez^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly.

Original language	English
Article number	4235
Number of pages	36
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2025

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Zuniga, Y. M. H., Zumla, A., Zuhlke, L. J., Zoladl, M., Ziaeian, B., Zhong, C., Zhao, X. J. G., Zhang, Z. J., Zhang, J., Zepro, N. B., Zenebe, G. A., Zeitoun, J. D., Zegeye, Z. B., Zastrozhin, M. S., Zareshahrabadi, Z., Zarea, K., Dehnavi, A. Z., Zare, I., Zangiabadian, M., ... Anza-Ramirez, C. (2025). Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Nature Communications, 16(1), Article 4235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x

@article{523028df28954cefaefe4fe431102c35,

title = "Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019",

abstract = "Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68\% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27\% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86\% of YLDs and 71\% of YLLs, and accounting for 93\% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly.",

author = "Zuniga, \{Yves Miel H.\} and Alimuddin Zumla and Zuhlke, \{Liesl J.\} and Mohammad Zoladl and Boback Ziaeian and Chenwen Zhong and Zhao, \{Xiu Ju George\} and Zhang, \{Zhi Jiang\} and Jianrong Zhang and Zepro, \{Nejimu Biza\} and Zenebe, \{Getachew Assefa\} and Zeitoun, \{Jean David\} and Zegeye, \{Zelalem Banjaw\} and Zastrozhin, \{Mikhail Sergeevich\} and Zahra Zareshahrabadi and Kourosh Zarea and Dehnavi, \{Ali Zare\} and Iman Zare and Moein Zangiabadian and Alireza Zangeneh and Nelson Zamora and Zaman, \{Sojib Bin\} and Nazar Zaki and Farima Zakaryaei and Mazyar Zahir and Tajrishi, \{Farbod Zahedi\} and Vesna Zadnik and Siddhesh Zadey and Hossein Yusefi and Taraneh Yousefinezhadi and Zabihollah Yousefi and Younis, \{Mustafa Z.\} and Yuyi You and Naohiro Yonemoto and Yon, \{Dong Keon\} and Eshetu Yisihak and Paul Yip and Vahit Yigit and Arzu Yigit and Siyan Yi and Pengpeng Ye and Fereshteh Yazdanpanah and Sanni Yaya and Yuichiro Yano and Lin Yang and Kazumasa Yamagishi and Tomohide Yamada and Jabbari, \{Seyed Hossein Yahyazadeh\} and Yahya, \{Gahin Abdulraheem Tayib Yahya\} and Sajad Yaghoubi and \{GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators\} and Rajesh Kamath and Cecilia Anza-Ramirez",

note = "Funding Information: This research was funded by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust as part of the Addressing the Challenge and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply (ACCISS) Study. Statements and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. All references and conclusions are intended for educational and informative purposes and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. O O Adetokunboh acknowledges support from the Department of Science and Innovation at the National Research Foundation, the Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. J M Acuna acknowledges support from American University of Antigua. A Ahmad acknowledges support from Shaqra University. K Ahmadi acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Applied Research Collaboration (ARC), Northwest London (the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care). S Alian Samakkhah acknowledges support from the Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies. S M Alif acknowledges support from The University of Melbourne and Monash University. S M Aljunid acknowledges support from the Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Malaysia and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. S Almustanyir acknowledges support from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for the global health research initiatives at the University of Washington. J H Amuasi acknowledges support from Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany. A Badawi acknowledges support from the Public Health Agency of Canada. I Banerjee acknowledges support from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College in Belle Rive, Mauritius. S Barteit acknowledges support from the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital, Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. H Benzian acknowledges support from Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study (STIAS), in Stellenbosch, South Africa. A N Bhat, J R Padubidi, A Shetty, B S K Shetty, and B Unnikrishnan acknowledge support from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal. M K Boachie acknowledges support from the Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. L C Brant acknowledges support from CNPq (307329/2022-4). T Brugha acknowledges support from The University of Leicester Department of Population Health Sciences and the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, United Kingdom. L A C\textbackslash{}u00E1mera acknowledges support from the Sociedad Argentina de Medicina. M Cross acknowledges support from the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health. G Damiani acknowledges support from the Italian Center of Precisione Medicine and Chronic Inflammation. R P Dellavalle acknowledges support from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, which in no way endorses the content of the manuscript. S Dey acknowledges support from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for the Institute Chair Fellowship. G M T ElGohary acknowledges support from the Ain Shams University, Faculty Of Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Adult Hematology Department in Cairo, Egypt. W Etafa acknowledges support from the Institute of Health Sciences, Wallaga University. A Fatehizadeh acknowledges support from the Department of Environmental Health Engineering of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Isfahan, Iran. V L Feigin acknowledges support from Auckland University of Technology. J C Glasbey acknowledges support from a UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Lectureship. A Halimi acknowledges support from the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences in Tehran, Iran. N E Ismail acknowledges institutional support from Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST University), Malaysia. J S Ji acknowledges support from Tsinghua University International Cooperation Special Project of Initiative Scientific Research Program. N Joseph acknowledges support from the Department of Community Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Manipal, India. H Kandel acknowledges support from the Kornhauser Research Fellowship at The University of Sydney. M N Khatib acknowledges support from the Global Consortium for Public Health Research, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. S L Koulmane Laxminarayana acknowledges support from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. M Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716-05s1. I Landires acknowledges support from the Sistema Nacional de Investigaci\textbackslash{}u00F3n (SNI) which is supported by Panam\textbackslash{}u00E1\textbackslash{}u2019s Secretar\textbackslash{}u00EDa Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnolog\textbackslash{}u00EDa e Innovaci\textbackslash{}u00F3n (SENACYT). K Latief acknowledges support from Taipei Medical University during the conduct of this review. G Liu acknowledges support from the Lung Foundation Australia. M A Mahmoud acknowledges support from Taibah University to participate in this research project. P Maulik acknowledges support from the George Institute for Global Health and University of New South Wales. S Mohammed acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation. M Molokhia acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Center at Guy\textbackslash{}u2019s and St Thomas\textbackslash{}u2019 National Health Service Foundation Trust, King\textbackslash{}u2019s College London, and NIHR grant NIHR202769. A R Pathan acknowledges support from Author Gates Publications. P Pedersini acknowledges support from the Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Corrente 2023. V C Pepito acknowledges support from Ateneo de Manila University. Z Z Piracha acknowledges support from the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR), Islamabad (44000) Pakistan. R V Polibin acknowledges support from the Department of Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine, F. Erismann Institute of Public Health, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University). I Qattea acknowledges support from the Nassau University Medical Center. Z Quazi Syed acknowledges support from Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. A Rahman acknowledges support from the Data Science Research Unit at Charles Sturt University. E M M Redwan acknowledges support from King Abdulaziz University (DSR) in Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz City for Science \& Technology (KACSAT) in Saudi Arabia, Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), and US-Egypt Science \& Technology Joint Fund, and The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), in Egypt. B Reshmi acknowledges support from Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. U Saeed acknowledges support from the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR) in Islamabad, Pakistan. A M Samy acknowledges support from Ain Shams University and the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. R K Saroj acknowledges support from the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences (SC\&IS), Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. H R Shahsavari acknowledges support from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Research Council. K S Shaji acknowledges support from Kerala University of Health Sciences in Kerala, India. M Shanawaz acknowledges support from Jazan University. P H Shetty acknowledges support from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy Of Higher Education, Manipal, India. A Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. A Singh acknowledges support from the International Graduate Research Scholarship, University of Tasmania. D A Sleet acknowledges support from Bizzell Global, LLC. M Tabish acknowledges support from the Scientific Research Unit at Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia. M Taheri acknowledges support from the Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. G W Tesema acknowledges support from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Nih Thomas acknowledges support from the Christian Medical College Vellore. M R Tovani-Palone acknowledges support from the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences and SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Sai Ullah acknowledges support from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. J H Villafa\textbackslash{}u00F1e acknowledges support and funding from the Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Corrente 2023. H Xiao acknowledges support from the Public Health Sciences Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. S Yaghoubi acknowledges support from the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences in Neyshabur, Iran. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

number = "1",

}

Zuniga, YMH, Zumla, A, Zuhlke, LJ, Zoladl, M, Ziaeian, B, Zhong, C, Zhao, XJG, Zhang, ZJ, Zhang, J, Zepro, NB, Zenebe, GA, Zeitoun, JD, Zegeye, ZB, Zastrozhin, MS, Zareshahrabadi, Z, Zarea, K, Dehnavi, AZ, Zare, I, Zangiabadian, M, Zangeneh, A, Zamora, N, Zaman, SB, Zaki, N, Zakaryaei, F, Zahir, M, Tajrishi, FZ, Zadnik, V, Zadey, S, Yusefi, H, Yousefinezhadi, T, Yousefi, Z, Younis, MZ, You, Y, Yonemoto, N, Yon, DK, Yisihak, E, Yip, P, Yigit, V, Yigit, A, Yi, S, Ye, P, Yazdanpanah, F, Yaya, S, Yano, Y, Yang, L, Yamagishi, K, Yamada, T, Jabbari, SHY, Yahya, GATY, Yaghoubi, S, GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators, Kamath, R & Anza-Ramirez, C 2025, 'Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019', Nature Communications, vol. 16, no. 1, 4235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x

TY - JOUR

T1 - Characterising acute and chronic care needs

T2 - insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

AU - Zuniga, Yves Miel H.

AU - Zumla, Alimuddin

AU - Zuhlke, Liesl J.

AU - Zoladl, Mohammad

AU - Ziaeian, Boback

AU - Zhong, Chenwen

AU - Zhao, Xiu Ju George

AU - Zhang, Zhi Jiang

AU - Zhang, Jianrong

AU - Zepro, Nejimu Biza

AU - Zenebe, Getachew Assefa

AU - Zeitoun, Jean David

AU - Zegeye, Zelalem Banjaw

AU - Zastrozhin, Mikhail Sergeevich

AU - Zareshahrabadi, Zahra

AU - Zarea, Kourosh

AU - Dehnavi, Ali Zare

AU - Zare, Iman

AU - Zangiabadian, Moein

AU - Zangeneh, Alireza

AU - Zamora, Nelson

AU - Zaman, Sojib Bin

AU - Zaki, Nazar

AU - Zakaryaei, Farima

AU - Zahir, Mazyar

AU - Tajrishi, Farbod Zahedi

AU - Zadnik, Vesna

AU - Zadey, Siddhesh

AU - Yusefi, Hossein

AU - Yousefinezhadi, Taraneh

AU - Yousefi, Zabihollah

AU - Younis, Mustafa Z.

AU - You, Yuyi

AU - Yonemoto, Naohiro

AU - Yon, Dong Keon

AU - Yisihak, Eshetu

AU - Yip, Paul

AU - Yigit, Vahit

AU - Yigit, Arzu

AU - Yi, Siyan

AU - Ye, Pengpeng

AU - Yazdanpanah, Fereshteh

AU - Yaya, Sanni

AU - Yano, Yuichiro

AU - Yang, Lin

AU - Yamagishi, Kazumasa

AU - Yamada, Tomohide

AU - Jabbari, Seyed Hossein Yahyazadeh

AU - Yahya, Gahin Abdulraheem Tayib Yahya

AU - Yaghoubi, Sajad

AU - GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators

AU - Kamath, Rajesh

AU - Anza-Ramirez, Cecilia

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust as part of the Addressing the Challenge and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply (ACCISS) Study. Statements and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. All references and conclusions are intended for educational and informative purposes and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. O O Adetokunboh acknowledges support from the Department of Science and Innovation at the National Research Foundation, the Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. J M Acuna acknowledges support from American University of Antigua. A Ahmad acknowledges support from Shaqra University. K Ahmadi acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Applied Research Collaboration (ARC), Northwest London (the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care). S Alian Samakkhah acknowledges support from the Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies. S M Alif acknowledges support from The University of Melbourne and Monash University. S M Aljunid acknowledges support from the Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Malaysia and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. S Almustanyir acknowledges support from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for the global health research initiatives at the University of Washington. J H Amuasi acknowledges support from Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany. A Badawi acknowledges support from the Public Health Agency of Canada. I Banerjee acknowledges support from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College in Belle Rive, Mauritius. S Barteit acknowledges support from the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital, Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. H Benzian acknowledges support from Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study (STIAS), in Stellenbosch, South Africa. A N Bhat, J R Padubidi, A Shetty, B S K Shetty, and B Unnikrishnan acknowledge support from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal. M K Boachie acknowledges support from the Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. L C Brant acknowledges support from CNPq (307329/2022-4). T Brugha acknowledges support from The University of Leicester Department of Population Health Sciences and the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, United Kingdom. L A C\u00E1mera acknowledges support from the Sociedad Argentina de Medicina. M Cross acknowledges support from the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health. G Damiani acknowledges support from the Italian Center of Precisione Medicine and Chronic Inflammation. R P Dellavalle acknowledges support from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, which in no way endorses the content of the manuscript. S Dey acknowledges support from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for the Institute Chair Fellowship. G M T ElGohary acknowledges support from the Ain Shams University, Faculty Of Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Adult Hematology Department in Cairo, Egypt. W Etafa acknowledges support from the Institute of Health Sciences, Wallaga University. A Fatehizadeh acknowledges support from the Department of Environmental Health Engineering of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Isfahan, Iran. V L Feigin acknowledges support from Auckland University of Technology. J C Glasbey acknowledges support from a UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Lectureship. A Halimi acknowledges support from the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences in Tehran, Iran. N E Ismail acknowledges institutional support from Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST University), Malaysia. J S Ji acknowledges support from Tsinghua University International Cooperation Special Project of Initiative Scientific Research Program. N Joseph acknowledges support from the Department of Community Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Manipal, India. H Kandel acknowledges support from the Kornhauser Research Fellowship at The University of Sydney. M N Khatib acknowledges support from the Global Consortium for Public Health Research, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. S L Koulmane Laxminarayana acknowledges support from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. M Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716-05s1. I Landires acknowledges support from the Sistema Nacional de Investigaci\u00F3n (SNI) which is supported by Panam\u00E1\u2019s Secretar\u00EDa Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnolog\u00EDa e Innovaci\u00F3n (SENACYT). K Latief acknowledges support from Taipei Medical University during the conduct of this review. G Liu acknowledges support from the Lung Foundation Australia. M A Mahmoud acknowledges support from Taibah University to participate in this research project. P Maulik acknowledges support from the George Institute for Global Health and University of New South Wales. S Mohammed acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation. M Molokhia acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Center at Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 National Health Service Foundation Trust, King\u2019s College London, and NIHR grant NIHR202769. A R Pathan acknowledges support from Author Gates Publications. P Pedersini acknowledges support from the Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Corrente 2023. V C Pepito acknowledges support from Ateneo de Manila University. Z Z Piracha acknowledges support from the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR), Islamabad (44000) Pakistan. R V Polibin acknowledges support from the Department of Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine, F. Erismann Institute of Public Health, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University). I Qattea acknowledges support from the Nassau University Medical Center. Z Quazi Syed acknowledges support from Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research. A Rahman acknowledges support from the Data Science Research Unit at Charles Sturt University. E M M Redwan acknowledges support from King Abdulaziz University (DSR) in Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACSAT) in Saudi Arabia, Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), and US-Egypt Science & Technology Joint Fund, and The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), in Egypt. B Reshmi acknowledges support from Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. U Saeed acknowledges support from the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR) in Islamabad, Pakistan. A M Samy acknowledges support from Ain Shams University and the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. R K Saroj acknowledges support from the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences (SC&IS), Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. H R Shahsavari acknowledges support from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Research Council. K S Shaji acknowledges support from Kerala University of Health Sciences in Kerala, India. M Shanawaz acknowledges support from Jazan University. P H Shetty acknowledges support from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy Of Higher Education, Manipal, India. A Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. A Singh acknowledges support from the International Graduate Research Scholarship, University of Tasmania. D A Sleet acknowledges support from Bizzell Global, LLC. M Tabish acknowledges support from the Scientific Research Unit at Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia. M Taheri acknowledges support from the Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. G W Tesema acknowledges support from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Nih Thomas acknowledges support from the Christian Medical College Vellore. M R Tovani-Palone acknowledges support from the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences and SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Sai Ullah acknowledges support from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. J H Villafa\u00F1e acknowledges support and funding from the Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Corrente 2023. H Xiao acknowledges support from the Public Health Sciences Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. S Yaghoubi acknowledges support from the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences in Neyshabur, Iran. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.

PY - 2025/12/1

Y1 - 2025/12/1

N2 - Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly.

AB - Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x

DO - 10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 16

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 4235

ER -

Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

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