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ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the pooled prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and evaluate its risk factors by gender, age, and ethnicity.
Methods: Articles were searched reporting the prevalence of MGD from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases.
Results: The estimated pooled prevalence of MGD was 0.358 (95% CI 0.26–0.46; I2: 99.57%). The prevalence of MGD was 0.358 (95% CI 0.24–0.50) in clinical and 0.359 (95% CI 0.22–0.52) in population-based studies. Men were more prone to MGD than women (OR: 1.24, 95% CI 1.01–1.52, p = 0.034). The rate of MGD was between 21.2% and 29.5% in Africans and Caucasians, to 71.0% in Arabs, and 67.5% in Hispanics.
Conclusion: MGD is a quite prevalent disorder with an estimated pooled prevalence of 35.8%. Men are more prone to MGD than women. There is a large variation between studies in terms of quality, sample size, age ranges, diagnostic criteria, and ethnicity.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.