Summary Adverse effects of medical treatment were responsible for 106 000 deaths (95% UI 89 100–117 000) in 2019. The age-standardised mortality rate decreased from 1·5 per 100 000 (1·3–1·7) in 2010 to 1·4 per 100 000 (1·1–1·5) in 2019.
Definition Death or short-term or long-term disability sustained as the result of undergoing a procedure, treatment, or other exposure to the health-care system. This exposure can occur in inpatient admission, outpatient facilities, emergency care, or during home treatment.
Total sources | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Incidence | 294 | |||||||||||
Prevalence | 0 | |||||||||||
Remission | 0 | |||||||||||
Causes of death | 3470 | |||||||||||
Other | 0 | |||||||||||
Table 1:
Total sources used in GBD 2019 estimation
What is new in GBD 2019?
- •Age-specific ratios between outpatient and inpatient adverse effects of medical treatment were modelled in MR-BRT, providing more specific adjustments for outpatient cases relative to inpatient admissions. This process incorporated an age pattern into this coefficient, leading to elderly patients having fewer outpatient visits from adverse effects of medical treatment relative to inpatient admissions.
- •For non-fatal estimation, Botswana, Georgia, Sweden, Mexico, India, Ecuador, and New Zealand inpatient data were added.
Prevalence
|
Incidence
|
Deaths
|
YLLs
|
YLDs
|
DALYs
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cases
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
Cases
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
Deaths
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
YLLs
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
YLDs
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
DALYs
(millions) |
Rate (per 100 000)
|
|
2019 | ||||||||||||
Both Sexes | 1·37 (1·04 to 1·76) |
17·8 (13·4 to 22·9) |
18·0 (15·0 to 21·3) |
233·3 (193·6 to 277·6) |
0·106 (0·0891 to 0·117) |
1·4 (1·1 to 1·5) |
3·66 (2·99 to 4·17) |
48·1 (39·3 to 55·4) |
0·183 (0·115 to 0·273) |
2·4 (1·5 to 3·5) |
3·84 (3·18 to 4·36) |
50·4 (41·6 to 57·7) |
Females | 0·712 (0·546 to 0·910) |
18·1 (13·6 to 23·1) |
9·33 (7·76 to 11·0) |
236·7 (196·2 to 281·1) |
0·0554 (0·0434 to 0·0636) |
1·3 (1·0 to 1·5) |
1·87 (1·44 to 2·21) |
48·7 (36·9 to 57·9) |
0·0949 (0·0600 to 0·141) |
2·4 (1·5 to 3·6) |
1·97 (1·53 to 2·29) |
51·1 (39·4 to 60·0) |
Males | 0·661 (0·499 to 0·850) |
17·6 (13·3 to 22·6) |
8·66 (7·18 to 10·3) |
231·1 (192·1 to 276·6) |
0·0503 (0·0404 to 0·0579) |
1·4 (1·1 to 1·6) |
1·78 (1·40 to 2·11) |
47·7 (37·0 to 56·5) |
0·0881 (0·0556 to 0·131) |
2·4 (1·5 to 3·5) |
1·87 (1·49 to 2·19) |
50·0 (39·6 to 58·6) |
Percentage change 2010-19 | ||||||||||||
Both Sexes | 17·4% (14·0 to 21·0) |
1·3% (–2·4 to 4·7) |
17·4% (14·0 to 20·9) |
1·3% (–2·3 to 4·7) |
7·9% (–1·5 to 17·3) |
–11·8% (–19·2 to –4·1) |
–5·0% (–12·5 to 3·5) |
–16·2% (–22·7 to –8·4) |
17·4% (14·0 to 21·0) |
1·3% (–2·4 to 4·7) |
–4·2% (–11·4 to 4·2) |
–15·5% (–21·8 to –8·1) |
Females | 15·4% (11·7 to 19·0) |
0·1% (–3·6 to 3·7) |
15·3% (11·7 to 18·9) |
0·1% (–3·6 to 3·6) |
9·3% (–2·6 to 21·8) |
–10·9% (–20·3 to –0·9) |
–4·4% (–13·9 to 6·7) |
–15·9% (–24·1 to –6·4) |
15·3% (11·7 to 19·0) |
0·1% (–3·6 to 3·7) |
–3·6% (–12·7 to 7·1) |
–15·2% (–23·0 to –6·3) |
Males | 19·6% (16·1 to 23·5) |
2·6% (–1·1 to 6·0) |
19·6% (16·1 to 23·5) |
2·5% (–1·1 to 5·9) |
6·3% (–3·3 to 17·5) |
–12·7% (–20·5 to –3·6) |
–5·7% (–13·9 to 4·1) |
–16·5% (–24·1 to –8·2) |
19·6% (16·1 to 23·5) |
2·6% (–1·1 to 6·0) |
–4·8% (–13·1 to 4·8) |
–15·8% (–23·1 to –7·7) |
Numbers in parentheses are 95% uncertainty intervals. |
Table 2:
Global prevalence, incidence, deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in counts and age-standardised rates for both sexes combined, females, and males, 2019, with percentage change between 2010 and 2019
Deaths | YLLs | YLDs | DALYs | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 64th | 59th | 124th | 82nd | ||||||||
2010 | 69th | 68th | 125th | 94th | ||||||||
2019 | 70th | 68th | 124th | 97th | ||||||||
Table 3:
Rank among Level 3 causes for global deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in 1990, 2010, and 2019, for both sexes combined

Figure 1:
Composition of DALYs by YLLs and YLDs for both sexes combined, 2019


Figure 2:
Age-standardised DALY rates for each location by SDI, both sexes combined, 2019

Figure 3:
Composition of DALYs by YLLs and YLDs, age group, and sex, 2019


Figure 4:
Age-standardised DALY rates (per 100 000) by location, both sexes combined, 2019