• Hassan M Elbiss, Wardah Rafaqat, and Khalid S Khan.
• From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Elbiss), College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates; from the Medical College (Rafaqat), Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; and from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Khan), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
• Saudi Med J. 2023 Feb 1; 44 (2): 128136128-136.

ObjectivesHigh prevalence of risk factors for pelvic floor disorders (PFD) in the Eastern Mediterranean may result in higher rates of prevalence of PFD in comparison to other regions. Despite individual studies, there are no clear statistics on the cumulative prevalence of PFDs in the East Mediterranean region. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PFDs in the Eastern Mediterranean region.MethodsA literature search without language restriction was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane database and Web of Science from 2016 to 01 June 2022. Cross-sectional and cohort studies that reported prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI), constipation, fecal incontinence (FI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) among women in the Eastern Mediterranean region were included. Study quality was assessed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Data were pooled and meta-analysed using a random effects model.ProsperoCRD42021283127 RESULTS: The search yielded 390 articles, from which 12 studies containing 9905 patients were included. Five studies were high quality and seven were low quality. The prevalence of POP (12 studies, 9905 participants), UI (5 studies, 2340 participants), constipation (4 studies, 2045 participants) and FI (1 study, 166 participants) was 39% (95% CI 21-57; I2 99.8%), 48% (95% CI 16-80; I2 99.7%), 39% (CI 17-60; I2 99.1%) and 14% (95% CI 9-20) respectively.ConclusionIn meta-analysis pooling studies of mixed quality, a high prevalence of PFDs was seen in the Eastern Mediterranean region.PROSPERO No.: CRD42021283127.Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.

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