Epidemiology and causes of intestinal obstruction in Ethiopia: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review was aimed to address the prevalence and causes of intestinal obstruction in Ethiopia. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, African Journals Online, HINARI, and other supplementary sources, including Google Scholar. We conducted methodological quality assessments for the articles by employing a critical appraisal checklist of Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS: The reported prevalence of intestinal obstruction in Ethiopia ranges from 18.6% to 50.7% among patients with acute abdomen. However, the prevalence varies from 4.3% to 34.6% among total surgical admissions. The leading causes of small intestinal obstruction were small bowel volvulus, intussusception, and adhesion. Sigmoid volvulus was the most commonly reported cause of large intestine obstruction, followed by colonic cancer. CONCLUSION: The highest reported prevalence of intestinal obstruction in Ethiopia was 50.7% among patients with acute abdomen and 34.6% among surgical admissions. Small intestine volvulus and sigmoid volvulus were the common causes of small and large bowel obstructions, respectively. Therefore, clinicians have to consider the common causes during the diagnosis and management of intestinal obstruction.