Three decades of tuberculosis research in Qatar (1993-2022): A scoping review and future direction.

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) remained the deadliest infectious disease in 2023, with 8.2 million newly diagnosed cases-the highest number recorded since 1995. In Qatar, the estimated TB incidence was 37 per 100,000 population in 2024. This review aimed to identify gaps in TB research conducted in Qatar and inform future research priorities.

METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched using relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and keywords. Peer-reviewed original research articles on TB with data from Qatar published between 1993 and 2022 were included, while reviews and editorials were excluded.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Most were retrospective observational studies focusing on extrapulmonary TB and used nonprobability purposive sampling. The most common research theme was clinical and diagnostic research.

CONCLUSION

Key research gaps include the evaluation of TB treatment, the epidemiology of drug-resistant TB, and delays in TB diagnosis. The absence of studies on pediatric TB highlights the need to prioritize this population. Strengthening TB research in Qatar will require dedicated funding and a focus on underexplored and high-priority areas.