Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze 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 syndromes, pathogen prevalence, resistance patterns, and excess mortality risk. The data were collected from various sources, such as national data sets, hospitals, and publications. Projections till the year 2050 were conducted using autoregressive integrated moving average 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 number, the highest share belonged to Saudi Arabia. There was a marked decline in mortality in the category

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