E-ISSN 1658-7820
 

Original Article
Online Published: 04 Jul 2026
 


Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region

Wahaj Ibrahim Alqurashi, Abdulrahman Eid Alsufyani, Hadi Alabbas, Layan Yassin Khan, Shahad Abdullatif Alsubhi, Raneem Ahmed Almihmadi, Abdulrahman Abdullah Meer Khan, Sadeem Khalid Alsaadi, Yousef Mesaed Al-shammari, Faisal Khaled H Alhomayani.


Abstract
Objective:
This study aimed to analyse the burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Arabian Gulf region from 1990 to 2021.
Methods:
This study calculated the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) resulting from and associated with bacterial AMR in all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries between 1990 and 2021 based on Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 estimates. A five-stage model was adopted involving mortality rates, distribution of infectious syndrome, pathogen prevalence, resistance patterns, and excess mortality risk. The data was collected from various sources, such as national data sets, hospitals, and publications. Projections till the year 2050 were conducted using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models.
Results:
In 2021, there were around 4,786 deaths attributed directly to bacterial AMR and 19,294 deaths attributable indirectly because of AMR in the GCC region. The total AMR DALYs were 131,329; of this, the highest share belonged to Saudi Arabia. There was a marked decline in mortality in the category less than 5 years (−65.6%), while there was an increase in mortality in the age group ≥70 years (+102.1%). S. aureus, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae were the most common causative organisms and accounted for more than 60% of all the attributable deaths. Resistance to carbapenems and third-generation cephalosporins increased sharply over the years. AMR deaths were projected to rise almost twice by 2050.
Conclusion:
The burden of AMR is growing steadily in the GCC countries, with its adverse effects becoming more pronounced among the older population.

Key words: Antimicrobial resistance, Arabian Gulf, GCC, DALYs, bacterial infections


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Alqurashi WI, Alsufyani AE, Alabbas H, Khan LY, Alsubhi SA, Almihmadi RA, Khan AAM, Alsaadi SK, Al-shammari YM, Alhomayani FKH. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. IJMDC. Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756


Web Style

Alqurashi WI, Alsufyani AE, Alabbas H, Khan LY, Alsubhi SA, Almihmadi RA, Khan AAM, Alsaadi SK, Al-shammari YM, Alhomayani FKH. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=318571 [Access: July 05, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Alqurashi WI, Alsufyani AE, Alabbas H, Khan LY, Alsubhi SA, Almihmadi RA, Khan AAM, Alsaadi SK, Al-shammari YM, Alhomayani FKH. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. IJMDC. Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Alqurashi WI, Alsufyani AE, Alabbas H, Khan LY, Alsubhi SA, Almihmadi RA, Khan AAM, Alsaadi SK, Al-shammari YM, Alhomayani FKH. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. IJMDC, [cited July 05, 2026]; Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



Harvard Style

Alqurashi, W. I., Alsufyani, . A. E., Alabbas, . H., Khan, . L. Y., Alsubhi, . S. A., Almihmadi, . R. A., Khan, . A. A. M., Alsaadi, . S. K., Al-shammari, . Y. M. & Alhomayani, . F. K. H. (2026) Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. IJMDC, Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



Turabian Style

Alqurashi, Wahaj Ibrahim, Abdulrahman Eid Alsufyani, Hadi Alabbas, Layan Yassin Khan, Shahad Abdullatif Alsubhi, Raneem Ahmed Almihmadi, Abdulrahman Abdullah Meer Khan, Sadeem Khalid Alsaadi, Yousef Mesaed Al-shammari, and Faisal Khaled H Alhomayani. 2026. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



Chicago Style

Alqurashi, Wahaj Ibrahim, Abdulrahman Eid Alsufyani, Hadi Alabbas, Layan Yassin Khan, Shahad Abdullatif Alsubhi, Raneem Ahmed Almihmadi, Abdulrahman Abdullah Meer Khan, Sadeem Khalid Alsaadi, Yousef Mesaed Al-shammari, and Faisal Khaled H Alhomayani. "Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Alqurashi, Wahaj Ibrahim, Abdulrahman Eid Alsufyani, Hadi Alabbas, Layan Yassin Khan, Shahad Abdullatif Alsubhi, Raneem Ahmed Almihmadi, Abdulrahman Abdullah Meer Khan, Sadeem Khalid Alsaadi, Yousef Mesaed Al-shammari, and Faisal Khaled H Alhomayani. "Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. Web. 05 Jul 2026 doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Alqurashi, W. I., Alsufyani, . A. E., Alabbas, . H., Khan, . L. Y., Alsubhi, . S. A., Almihmadi, . R. A., Khan, . A. A. M., Alsaadi, . S. K., Al-shammari, . Y. M. & Alhomayani, . F. K. H. (2026) Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990-2021 in the Arabian Gulf Region. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 04 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1777051756





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