Background: Sepsis and acute renal failure (ARF) are major contributors to mortality in critically ill patients in the United States. Despite advancements in critical care, trends in mortality associated with these conditions among adults aged ≥55 years have not been well studied. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database was utilized to retrospectively analyze national mortality trends related to sepsis and ARF in the United States from 1999 to 2020, stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, age groups, U.S. Census region, and state. Results: The overall AAMR exponentially increased from 9.4 in 1999 to 18.5 in 2009 (APC: 7.73; 95% CI: 6.11 to 10.30) and it gradually increased to 22.6 in 2020 (APC: −0.14; 95% CI: −1.58 to 0.99, P -value = 0.819), with an average annual percentage (AAPC) of 3.53 (95% CI: 3.02 to 4.11, P -value = < 0.000001). Men had consistently higher AAMRs than women from 1999 (AAMR men: 12.4 vs. women: 7.5) to 2020 (AAMR men: 27.9 vs. women: 18.5), the AAPC for men is 3.22 (95% CI: 2.58 to 4.00) and for women is 3.96 (95% CI: 3.56 to 4.42). When stratified by race, the highest overall AAMR was observed in Black Americans (25.4%) and the lowest in Asians (13.4%). Overall, AAMR was highest for the South (19.5) and lowest for the Northeast (14). Conclusions: Following a period of dynamic fluctuations, sepsis and ARF-related mortality in U.S. adults have increased over the last 20 years. Focused interventions in prevention and treatment are crucial to mitigate the escalating impact of sepsis and ARF-related mortality.

Background: COPD and lung cancer are major global respiratory diseases, with COPD causing irreversible airflow limitation and lung cancer remaining a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.Analyzing mortality trends and health disparities is crucial for shaping effective public health policies and refining prevention strategies for diseases like COPD and lung cancer. Methods: Data was extracted from the CDC WONDER database, the ICD-10 codes used were C34.0-C34.3, C34.8, C34.9 and J41-J44. Age groups were categorized from 25 to 85 and above. We applied Joinpoint regression to calculate both annual and average annual percent change (AAPC) in mortality trends. Data were analyzed based on demographics, census regions, and levels of urbanization. Results: From 1999 to 2020 the total deaths recorded in U.S. were 484941. There was a significant decrease in the AAMR from 1999-2020 (AAPC: -1.40; 95% CI -1.79 to –1.00). COPD and lung cancer-related AAMRs were consistently higher in males than females, with NH White individuals having the highest rates and NH Asian or Pacific Islanders the lowest. Most racial groups saw declining mortality trends from 1999 to 2020, with notable reductions among Hispanics and NH Asian or Pacific Islanders, while NH White individuals initially experienced a slight increase before a steady decline. Nonmetropolitan areas consistently exhibited higher mortality rates than metropolitan areas, initially rising before trending downward, while metropolitan regions saw a continuous decline. Mortality patterns varied by location, with most deaths occurring at home or in medical facilities. Regionally, the Midwest reported the highest AAMR, while West Virginia had the highest state-level mortality rate and Utah the lowest. Conclusion Although COPD and lung cancer mortality have declined overall, persistent disparities across gender, race, and geographic regions underscore inequities in healthcare access. Targeted interventions are essential to bridge these gaps and improve COPD and lung cancer care nationwide.

Thalassemia imposes a substantial and unequal global health burden, yet its temporal evolution stratified by sociodemographic development remains incompletely characterized using the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data. Using GBD 2023 data, we analyzed incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for thalassemia across five Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) quintiles from 1990 to 2023. Age-standardized rates and absolute counts were extracted from the IHME GBD Results Tool. Joinpoint regression was applied to identify statistically significant inflection points and calculate average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) and annual percentage changes (APCs) for each burden indicator across SDI strata. Age-standardized mortality and DALY rates declined significantly across all SDI groups, with the largest reductions in high SDI (AAPC: −4.12% and − 4.20%, respectively) and high-middle SDI regions (AAPC: −3.86% and − 3.93%). By contrast, low SDI regions experienced a 16% rise in absolute deaths and a 66% surge in absolute prevalence, reaching 321,005 cases by 2023. The low-middle SDI group was the only stratum with a statistically significant net increase in age-standardized incidence (AAPC: +0.12%). Joinpoint analysis revealed non-linear, multi-phase trajectories across all strata, with recent reversals in incidence and prevalence rates in low and low-middle SDI regions. By 2023, a nearly six-fold disparity in age-standardized death and DALY rates persisted between the highest and lowest SDI quintiles. Thalassemia burden has declined substantially in high-SDI settings, driven by advances in prevention, screening, and treatment. However, low and low-middle SDI regions continue to face rising absolute burdens and recent trend reversals, underscoring critical inequities in access to care. Targeted, equitable strategies including expanded premarital screening, strengthened blood supply systems, and health system investment are urgently needed to close the persistent SDI-linked gap in thalassemia outcomes.