Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the General Population of Saudi Arabia, 2000-2020: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Mu'taman Jarrar; Mai Abdel Haleem Abusalah; Waleed Albaker; Mohammad Al-Bsheish; Adi Alsyouf; Khalid Al-Mugheed; Marwan Rasmi Issa; Arwa Alumran

doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_394_22

Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the General Population of Saudi Arabia, 2000-2020: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023 Jan-Mar;11(1):1-10. doi: 10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_394_22. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Authors

Mu'taman Jarrar^{1

2}, Mai Abdel Haleem Abusalah³, Waleed Albaker⁴, Mohammad Al-Bsheish^{5

6}, Adi Alsyouf⁷, Khalid Al-Mugheed⁸, Marwan Rasmi Issa⁹, Arwa Alumran¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Vice Deanship for Development and Community Partnership, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Medical Education, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences Faculty of Medical Allied Science, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine/Endocrinology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Health Management, Batterjee Medical College, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Al-Nadeem Governmental Hospital, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan.
⁷ Department of Managing Health Services and Hospitals, Faculty of Business Rabigh, College of Business, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Nursing Department, Health Faculty, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Skills Development Training Center, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Health Information Management and Technology, College of Public Health, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has increased worldwide, including in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To systematically review the available literature and assess the pooled prevalence of T2DM in Saudi Arabia between 2000 and 2020.

Methods: Observational studies that reported quantitative estimates of the prevalence of T2DM as their main outcome, included the general population of Saudi Arabia, and were published between 2000-2020 and in English were retrieved using three electronic databases (namely, CINAHL, Medline via PubMed, and Web of Science). Retrieved studies were screened, and relevant data were extracted. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal guideline was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. A random-effects model was used to estimate the prevalence of T2DM.

Results: Twenty-three studies were included in the systematic review, of which 19 were included in the meta-analysis (total pooled population: 258,283). The overall pooled prevalence of T2DM in Saudi Arabia was 16.4% (95% CI: 11.6-17.5). However, there was heterogeneity in the results of the studies [I² = 99.31%, P < 0.0001] and the summary values varied from 3.18% (95% CI: 1.46-5.95) to 94.34% (95% CI: 89.53-97.38). Although the prevalence of T2DM by age varied across studies, in most studies, it was higher among the older age groups. In addition, the prevalence of diabetes widely varied across the different geographical regions of Saudi Arabia.

Conclusions: This is the first meta-analysis that determined the pooled prevalence of T2DM in Saudi Arabia, and it revealed a high prevalence over the past two decades. However, owing to data collection inconsistencies in the identified studies, neither the modifiable (such as obesity, educational status, emotional support, etc.) nor the non-modifiable (such as gender and age) risk factors of T2DM could be determined, thereby indicating the need for a nationally collective effort in determining these factors.

Keywords: Meta-analysis; Saudi Arabia; prevalence; random-effects model; systematic review; type 2 diabetes mellitus.