Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the older person: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The process of aging is a phenomenon that occurs universally in all living organisms. It begins during intrauterine life and persists until death. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can significantly impact the lives of older adults, especially in their relationships with others, including spouses or partners. These relationships often involve conflicts or may be affected by the individual’s OCD symptoms, such as rituals. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of OCD among the older person population.

The systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out without a time limit until March 2024. To identify articles pertinent to the study’s objectives, searches were conducted on Embase, PubMed, Scopus, WOS, and Google Scholar databases using appropriate keywords and validated with MeSH/Emtree. The I² index was utilized to assess heterogeneity among the studies.

Ultimately, 10 articles meeting all the inclusion criteria had a sample size of 54,377. The estimated prevalence of OCD in the older person worldwide is 2.4% (95% confidence interval: 1.8%-3.3). The Asian continent showed the highest prevalence of OCD in the older person at 3.5% (95% confidence interval: 2.4–5.1), while the female population had an estimated prevalence of 2.7% (95% confidence interval: 1.9–3.8). As the publication year increased, there was an upward trend in the quality assessment score and the age of OCD prevalence in the older person (P < 0.05).

The results of the present study indicate a high prevalence of OCD among the older person. Hence, it is advised that greater attention be directed towards this issue by experts, authorities, and health policymakers.