Objective To estimate the pooled prevalence and associated factors of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis Data sources Searches were carried out in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar and Dimensions AI with no date or language filters.
Eligibility criteria for selection of studies Cross-sectional studies that reported estimates of GERD prevalence from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries were included. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently extracted the data, and the accuracy and clarity of the final extracted data were cross-checked by another two reviewers.
Study quality was assessed using JBI Critical Appraisal Tool for Prevalence Studies. Random-effects model was used for meta-analyses.
Results Fourteen studies from Saudi Arabia met the inclusion criteria (total participants=17 927); from the other GCC countries, only one study from Bahrain and none from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait or Oman met the inclusion criteria, and thus were not included in the pooled analysis.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 16 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Prevalence and risk factors of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
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