Salvatore Crisafulli1, Nicoletta Luxi2, Janet Sultana3,4, Andrea Fontana5, Federica Spagnolo6,7, Giuseppe Giuffrida6,7, Francesco Ferraù6,7, Daniele Gianfrilli8, Alessia Cozzolino8, Maria Cristina De Martino9, Federico Gatto10, Francesco Barone-Adesi11,12, Salvatore Cannavò6,7, Gianluca Trifirò2. 1. Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. 2. Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. 3. Pharmacy Department, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta. 4. College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, UK. 5. Unit of Biostatistics, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. 6. Department of Human Pathology of Adulthood and Childhood "G. Barresi" DETEV, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. 7. Endocrine Unit, University Hospital "G. Martino", Messina, Italy. 8. Section of Medical Pathophysiology and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome. 9. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Section of Endocrinology, Università Federico II di Napoli, Naples, Italy. 10. Endocrinology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy. 11. Department of Translational Medicine, University Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy. 12. Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIM), University Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To date, no systematic reviews and meta-analysis on the global epidemiology of acromegaly are available in the literature. The aims of this study are to provide a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the global epidemiology of acromegaly and to evaluate the quality of study reporting for the identified studies. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies assessing the epidemiology of acromegaly from inception until 31 January 2020. We included original observational studies written in English, reporting acromegaly prevalence and/or incidence for a well-defined geographic area. Two reviewers independently extracted data and performed quality assessments. Prevalence and incidence pooled estimates were derived by performing a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 32 studies were included in the systematic review, and 22 of them were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of acromegaly was 5.9 (95% CI: 4.4-7.9) per 100 000 persons, while the incidence rate (IR) was 0.38 (95% CI: 0.32-0.44) cases per 100 000 person-years. For both prevalence and IR, considerable between-study heterogeneity was found (I2 = 99.3 and 86.0%, respectively). The quality of study reporting was rated as the medium for 20 studies and low for 12 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Although the largest amount of heterogeneity was due to the high precision of the studies' estimates, data source and geographic area could represent relevant study-level factors which could explain about 50% of the total between-study variability. Large-scale high-quality studies on the epidemiology of acromegaly are warranted to help the public health system in making decisions.
OBJECTIVE: To date, no systematic reviews and meta-analysis on the global epidemiology of acromegaly are available in the literature. The aims of this study are to provide a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the global epidemiology of acromegaly and to evaluate the quality of study reporting for the identified studies. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies assessing the epidemiology of acromegaly from inception until 31 January 2020. We included original observational studies written in English, reporting acromegaly prevalence and/or incidence for a well-defined geographic area. Two reviewers independently extracted data and performed quality assessments. Prevalence and incidence pooled estimates were derived by performing a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 32 studies were included in the systematic review, and 22 of them were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of acromegaly was 5.9 (95% CI: 4.4-7.9) per 100 000 persons, while the incidence rate (IR) was 0.38 (95% CI: 0.32-0.44) cases per 100 000 person-years. For both prevalence and IR, considerable between-study heterogeneity was found (I2 = 99.3 and 86.0%, respectively). The quality of study reporting was rated as the medium for 20 studies and low for 12 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Although the largest amount of heterogeneity was due to the high precision of the studies' estimates, data source and geographic area could represent relevant study-level factors which could explain about 50% of the total between-study variability. Large-scale high-quality studies on the epidemiology of acromegaly are warranted to help the public health system in making decisions.
Authors: Oboseh J Ogedegbe; Asfand Yar Cheema; Muhammad Ali Khan; Syeda Zeenat S Junaid; Jolomi K Erebo; Ewuradjoa Ayirebi-Acquah; Jennifer Okpara; Daramfon Bofah; Jennifer G Okon; Mishaal Munir; Gabriel Alugba; Aaron Ezekiel; Ohikhuare Okun; Tioluwani K Ojo; Eunice O Mejulu; Abdulmalik Jimoh Journal: Cureus Date: 2022-09-03