Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40691829›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2025

Estimates of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the Middle East and North Africa region: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis.

Aishat F Akomolafe, Bushra M Abdallah, Fathima R Mahmood, Amgad M Elshoeibi, Aisha Abdulla Al-Khulaifi, Elhassan Mahmoud, Yara Dweidri, Nour Darwish, Duaa Yousif, Hafsa Khalid and 7 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
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  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Aishat F Akomolafe *College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Bushra M Abdallah *College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Fathima R Mahmood *College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Amgad M ElshoeibiCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Aisha Abdulla Al-KhulaifiCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Elhassan MahmoudCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Yara DweidriCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Nour DarwishCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Duaa YousifCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Hafsa KhalidCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Majed Al-TheyabCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Muhammad Waqar AzeemSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Durre ShahwarSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Madeeha KamalSidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
Majid AlabdullaHamad Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Salma M KhaledCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Tawanda ChiveseDepartment of Science and Mathematics, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA. tchivese@uw.edu.

Funding

Qatar National Research Fund UREP30-211-3-073
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevalence estimates for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are not readily available, amid a lack of recent evidence. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of ASD in the MENA region by synthesising evidence from published studies.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL for studies assessing ASD prevalence in the MENA region. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale. A bias-adjusted inverse variance heterogeneity meta-analysis model was used to synthesize prevalence estimates from included studies. Cochran's Q statistic and the I

resultsOf 3,739 studies identified, 19 met the inclusion criteria, published during the period 2007-2025, from Iran, Oman, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, Iraq. Country specific prevalence estimates ranged from 0.01% in Oman in 2009 to 6.50% in one study from Iraq in 2024. The overall prevalence of ASD in the MENA region was 0.14% (95%CI 0.02- 0.36%), with significant heterogeneity (I

conclusionEstimates of the prevalence of ASD vary widely across the MENA region, with variability in ASD prevalence estimates by diagnostic methods and sampling approaches. While the data suggest a possible increase in prevalence during the study period, this observation warrants further investigation through more robust, longitudinal, and methodologically consistent studies. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration ID CRD42024499837.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAfrica, NorthernChildHumansMiddle EastPrevalenceAutism spectrum disorderMiddle East and North AfricaPrevalence

Identifiers

PMID40691829
PMCPMC12278510

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.