Rehabilitation Needs Are Growing in Brazil and Across Its Regions, Including the Underserved: Secondary Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study

Aim: To determine the evolving rehabilitation needs in Brazil, considering five main impairment categories for nationwide health-service planning, and stratified per age groups as well as Brazilian regions with inequitable development. Methods: Secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study (1990-2019), using Years Lived with Disability (YLD) rates, including for all ages and age-standardized metrics. The set of health conditions amenable to rehabilitation were selected and organized based on the five impairment types, derived from the Brazil’s public-based Care Network for People with Disabilities. Results: A Brazil-wide 24% growth (1990-2019) in overall rehabilitation needs per capita (i.e., YLD rates per 100,000 population) was observed, in addition to a 6% negative growth for age-standardized YLD rates. “Physical” impairments accounted for 77% of the Brazilian rehabilitation needs in 2019; 69% of these impairments come from musculoskeletal conditions. Rehabilitation-need growths were also observed across the five Brazilian regions, ranging from 16% to 25%. Conclusion: Rehabilitation needs are growing Brazil-wide and across its regions, as a result of the population ageing and epidemiological transition. Brazilian regions with lower income and lower population density (e.g. with more rural or remote populations) also had growths in rehabilitation needs even though often underserved by rehabilitation professionals.