Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction Disorders among Adult Populations in the Middle–East: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Thyroid dysfunction is a systemic disorder that causes severe morbidity and is a public health problem worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among adults in the Middle East.

We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Medline databases from 2000–2021 to identify studies that presented the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction, hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism in the Middle East. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence and confidence intervals of thyroid dysfunction. The data were analyzed using STATA-V14.

Generally, 345 studies had eligible criteria to be included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of thyroid disorders, overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, overt hyperthyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism in the Middle East were 19.2% (95% CI: 11.0 – 33.2), 7.2% (95% CI: 3.6 – 14.3), 8.3% (95% CI: 5.3 – 13.0), 2.4% (95% CI: 1.4– 3.9), and 3.2% (95% CI: 2.1 – 4.7), respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of thyroid disorders increased from 15.2% (95% CI: 9.8-23.6) to 31.5% (95% CI: 22.5- 44.2) between 2000 and 2022.

Current meta-analysis suggests that thyroid disorders are more prevalent among adults in the Middle East. Moreover, with an increasing trend in the prevalence of thyroid disorders during the last two decades, early screening and prevention of the disease should be practiced.