The prevalence and estimated burden of somatoform disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of their epidemiology.

Abstract

Somatoform disorders have adverse health impacts but are excluded from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). This study aimed to present a proof of concept for quantifying the global prevalence and health burden of somatoform disorders measured in years of life with disability (YLDs). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the global prevalence and burden of somatoform disorders. We searched PsycINFO, Embase, and PubMed for epidemiological surveys of the general population, published between Jan 1, 1980, and Feb 19, 2024, and adhering to definitions from the DSM or the ICD. Meta-regressions pooled prevalence for subtypes of somatoform disorders and their aggregate, while testing sources of variation in the data. Pooled adjusted prevalence estimates for the aggregate of somatoform disorders were combined with GBD disability weights to estimate YLDs. Authors of this paper have lived experience perspectives in mental disorders but individuals diagnosed with somatoform disorders were not consulted for this work. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42024517736. We included 41 studies, from 23 countries, mostly covering the GBD high-income super-region. There were 122 153 individuals (mean age 46·3 years, range 11-99 years). The proportion of female participants ranged from 37·5% to 66·4% in studies reporting sex-disaggregated data. Disaggregations by ethnicity were not available. The pooled prevalence of somatoform disorders was 4·6% (95% CI 3·1-7·0). Prevalence among females (7·7% [5·1-11·5]) was significantly higher than among males (2·8% [1·8-4·3], p<0·0001). The prevalence across subtypes of somatoform disorders varied by age and sex depending on the disorder. YLDs were estimated at 662·4 (350·2-974·6) per 100 000 person-years, suggesting somatoform disorders could be the second most burdensome mental disorder globally compared against mental disorders from GBD 2021. Somatoform disorders are common and disabling disorders that warrant further consideration within future GBD studies, and more broadly within mental health planning and response. More effort is required to accumulate data from low-income and middle-income countries and explore temporal trends in the prevalence of somatoform disorders. University of Copenhagen, Queensland Health, and University of Queensland.