From 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths that are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Researchers from several global institutions studied 520 million individual records and estimated deaths and illnesses attributable to AMR across 204 countries from 1990 through 2021. As it turns out, deaths from AMR fell more than 50% among children younger than age 5 but increased more than 80% among adults 70 and older, according to the article published in The Lancet. The pathogen-drug combination that had the largest increase in burden was the antibiotic methicillin and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. In this combination, the number of attributable deaths nearly doubled from 57,200 in 1990 to 130,000 in 2021.
Growing concern: The researchers forecasts show that an estimated 1.91 million deaths directly attributable to AMR and 8.22 million deaths associated with AMR could occur globally in 2050. Increases in deaths attributable to AMR will be largest among those 70 years and older, the authors say.