Prevalence of abdominal wall hernias among the population of Saudi Arabia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT This study aims to assess the prevalence of abdominal wall hernias in the Saudi population through a systematic review and meta-analysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025643177). We included population-based and cross-sectional studies reporting the prevalence of abdominal wall hernias in Saudi Arabia, excluding studies focusing on surgical techniques, treatments, or hospital-based data. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Ovid MEDLINE from inception until November 2024. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, assessing study quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 17.0, applying random-effects or fixed-effects models based on heterogeneity. We included eight population-based cross-sectional studies with 7119 participants. The overall prevalence was 14% (95% confidence interval: 6%–21%), with higher prevalence in males (19%) compared to females (13%). Significant regional and demographic variations were observed. High heterogeneity ( I 2 = 99.07%, P < 0.05) was noted, likely due to the differences in study settings and methodologies. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimate the prevalence of abdominal wall hernias in Saudi Arabia at 14%, with a higher occurrence in males (19%) than females (13%). However, the included studies showed high heterogeneity, which should be considered when interpreting the results. These findings highlight the public health burden of hernias and the need for targeted prevention strategies. Future research should focus on standardizing diagnostic methods to obtain more accurate prevalence estimates.