Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42471736›Full record

ArticleJournal of health, population, and nutrition2026

Burden of digestive congenital anomalies in the Middle East and North Africa region between 1990 and 2021.

Fatemeh Akhlaghi, Azin Kadkhodamanesh, Faegheh Bahri, Reyhane Khajezade, Arya Adinepour, Mahsa Iranmanesh, Mohammad Amin Khajuei Gharaei, Zahra Sarkoohi, Mohammad-Mahdi Bastan, Hossein Pourghadamyari and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Fatemeh Akhlaghi *Student Research Committee, Razi Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Azin Kadkhodamanesh *HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Faegheh BahriDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Reyhane KhajezadeStudent Research Committee, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Arya AdinepourStudent Research Committee, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Mahsa IranmaneshStudent Research Committee, Razi Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Mohammad Amin Khajuei GharaeiStudent Research Committee, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Zahra SarkoohiDepartment of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, Razi Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Mohammad-Mahdi BastanHIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Hossein PourghadamyariDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Hamid SharifiHIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Omid EslamiGastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. O_eslami@yahoo.com.
Seyed Aria NejadghaderiHIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. ariang20@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8692-9720

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDigestive congenital anomalies (DCAs), the fourth leading cause of death and disability among all congenital birth defects, have a substantial impact on both the duration and quality of life. This study aimed to present the burden and socioeconomic associates of DCAs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from 1990 to 2021.

methodsDCAs were defined based on the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-9: 750-751.9, 756.6-756.79; ICD-10: Q38-Q45.8, Q79.0-Q79.59). Mortality was estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble Model, and DisMod-MR 2.1 was employed to model cause-specific mortality and excess mortality. Metrics were presented as crude counts and age-standardized rates per 100,000, with 95% uncertainty intervals. The association between socio-demographic index (SDI) and DCAs burden was examined using smoothing spline models.

resultsIn 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate of DCAs in the MENA region was 7.17 (5.64, 9.15), while the age-standardized point prevalence was 50.57 (40.88, 59.51) per 100,000 individuals. MENA had a DALY rate of 67.85 (47.56, 88.75) and a death rate of 0.74 (0.50, 0.97). From 1990 to 2021, there were significant reductions in the age-standardized rates of incidence (-25.99% [-33.70, -17.06]), prevalence (-10.55% [-18.88, -2.04]), DALY (-62.35% [-78.36, -10.86]), and death (-62.97% [-78.95, -10.76]) associated with DCAs in MENA. In 2021, Afghanistan had the greatest age-standardized DALY rate, while Qatar had the lowest. Males generally had a greater burden of DCAs. A negative association was identified between age-standardized DALY rates and the SDI for DCAs in the MENA.

conclusionsFrom 1990 to 2021, we observed a significant decrease in the burden of DCAs in MENA, although the trends vary across countries. These findings offer crucial insights for developing effective prevention and management strategies for these anomalies.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessDigestive System AbnormalitiesAdultAfrica, NorthernChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMiddle EastMiddle Eastern PeoplePrevalenceSocioeconomic FactorsDigestive Congenital AnomaliesDisability-Adjusted Life YearsGlobal Burden of DiseaseIncidenceMiddle EastPrevalenceSociodemographic Index

Identifiers

PMID42471736
PMCPMC13663123

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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.