SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2024
Sexually transmitted infections in the middle east and North Africa: comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Hepatitis C distribution across diverse population groups in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: An umbrella review.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Potential Use of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B Vaccines to Prevent Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection: Epidemiological Considerations.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2026Review
- Religious and Spiritual Behaviors Correlated with Mental and Physical Well-Being Among American Muslims within the Twin Cities.Journal of religion and health · 2026Article
- Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Outcomes in High-Risk Individuals in Saudi Arabia: A 48-Week Observational Cohort Study.Cureus · 2026Article
- Self-Reported Prevalence and Predictors of HIV and Gonorrhea Among Primary Healthcare Attendees: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Inequalities in non-HIV sexually transmitted infections in Uganda: a 22-year sex disaggregated trend analysis using WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit data.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Venereology and the transformation of sexually transmitted infection services in Beirut, with lessons for the Eastern Mediterranean.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- Advancing the elimination of cervical cancer across Africa.Nature communications · 2026Review
- Changing epidemiology of reproductive tract infections in Western China: a three-phase retrospective study during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Review
- Bacterial vaginosis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases: An Unprecedented Overview of Their Global Prevalence in a Study of 50,000 Participants.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2025Article
- A community-focused cervical and breast cancer screening program using a sustainable funding model in a training center in Ghana.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Primary versus secondary infertility: Epidemiology and characteristics from a referral hospital in Saudi Arabia.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
- Alopecia as the initial presentation of secondary syphilis: A case report and review of literature.IDCases · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes Towards HPV and Its Vaccination Among Women in the Medina Region: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGlobally, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) collectively cause 2.3 million deaths and 1.2 million cases of cancer annually. However, the epidemiology of STIs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is not well assessed because of various social and cultural factors.
methodsA systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and covering 23 MENA countries, 19 STIs, and data from 20,435,971 participants. PubMed, Embase, regional and international databases, and country-level reports were searched up to May 2024.
resultsThe analysis revealed significant regional variations in the prevalence of STIs within the MENA region. In North Africa, the most common STIs were bacterial vaginosis (31%), human papillomavirus (HPV, 23%), and Candida spp. (15%). In the Gulf Cooperation Council region and Yemen, Ureaplasma (25%), nongonococcal urethritis (NGU, 16%), and Mycoplasma spp. (12%) were the predominant infections. In the Levant region, the top STIs were HPV (20%), hepatitis B virus (HBV, 9%), and Candida spp. (9%). In Iran, Ureaplasma spp. (18%), HPV (17%), and cytomegalovirus (8%) were the most prevalent infections, whereas Ureaplasma spp. (20%), Candida spp. (18%), and HPV (16%) were most frequently detected in Türkiye. Gender-based disparities were observed, with a higher prevalence of Ureaplasma spp., Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and herpes in men and higher rates of Mycoplasma spp., HPV, HBV, and Candida spp. in women. Overall, high rates of nongonococcal urethritis (16.3%), Ureaplasma spp. (13.7%), HPV (12.7%), and Candida spp. (9.4%) were recorded in the MENA region.
conclusionsMost MENA countries lack national STI screening programs, and the reported data are primarily from symptomatic individuals. Establishing robust surveillance systems, addressing stigma and barriers to healthcare access, and expanding STIs screening and vaccination programs are crucial for accurately capturing the true burden of STIs in MENA countries.
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