Anza Ramírez, CeciliaMirando, Juan JaimeArmocida, BenedettaCorreia, Jorge CésarVan Spall, Harriette Gillian ChristineBeran, DavidAali, AmiraliAbate, Kalkidan HassenAbate, Semagn MekonnenVillafañe, Jorge Hugoet al.2025-11-062025-11-062025GBD 2019 Acute and Chronic Care Collaborators, Anza-Ramirez, C., Miranda, J. J., Armocida, B., Correia, J. C., Van Spall, H. G. C., Beran, D., Aali, A., Abate, K. H., Abate, S. M., Abbafati, C., Abbasi-Kangevari, M., Abbasi-Kangevari, Z., Abbastabar, H., Abdel-Azeem, A. M., Abdelmasseh, M., Abd-Elsalam, S., Abdelwahab, A., Abdoli, G., … Zuniga, Y. M. H. (2025). Characterising acute and chronic care needs: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Nature Communications, 16(1), 4235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56910-x2041-1723https://hdl.handle.net/11268/16444Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-termconditions. 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.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/journal article10.1038/s41467-025-56910-xopen accessCiencias médicasPolítica de la saludEstadísticas sanitariasGoal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovationGoal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries