Prevalence of occult hepatitis B in southeast Asia: The first systematic review and meta-analysis

Bello, Kizito E; Janefrancis, Itodo Kelechi; Zakari, David Adeiza; Modupe, Saliu Hadiya; Musa, Aishat; Ahmad, Irekeola Adebayo; Yusuf, Wada; Olakunle, Otuyelu frank; Ridwan, Azeez; RAphael, Jegede; Lamidi, Yusuf; Rafidah, Hanim; Mustaffa, Nazri

doi:10.21608/mid.2024.278886.1859

	Prevalence of occult hepatitis B in southeast Asia: The first systematic review and meta-analysis
Microbes and Infectious Diseases
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 16 April 2024
Document Type: Systematic review or meta-analysis
DOI: 10.21608/mid.2024.278886.1859
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Authors
Kizito E Bello ¹^{, 2}; Itodo Kelechi Janefrancis²; David Adeiza Zakari ²; Saliu Hadiya Modupe²; Aishat Musa²; Irekeola Adebayo Ahmad¹^{, 3}; Wada Yusuf¹^{, 4}; Otuyelu frank Olakunle⁵; Azeez Ridwan⁵; Jegede RAphael⁶; Yusuf Lamidi⁷; Hanim Rafidah¹^{, 8}; Nazri Mustaffa ⁹^{, 10}
¹Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
²Department of Microbiology, Kogi State University (Prince Abubakar Audu University) Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria
³Microbiology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Summit University Offa, Offa 4412, Kwara State, Nigeria
⁴Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810211, Nigeria
⁵Department of Microbiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
⁶Department of Biochemistry, Kogi State University (Prince Abubakar Audu University) Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria
⁷Department of Biological Sciences, Kogi State University, Kabba, Nigeria
⁸Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
⁹Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
¹⁰Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
Abstract
Background and Aim: Occult hepatitis B infection is a significant public health concern in Southeast Asia. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to provide detailed information on the pooled prevalence of OHB in Southeast Asia. Methods: A systematic search for articles describing the prevalence of OHB within Southeast Asian countries was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Our search returned Fifteen (15) eligible articles involving 1864 OHB cases representing Seven (7) Asian countries. A meta-analysis was performed on our eligible studies using the random effect model. A protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023422981). Results: The pooled prevalence of OHB in southeast Asia was relatively high [10.5% (95% CI, 6.8% – 16.0%; I2 = 98.37%; p < 0.001)]. Cambodia (51.2%, CI: 48.3 – 54.0%) had the highest estimate for OHB among the Southeast Asian countries. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of OHB with the year of study and types of study designs at P < 0.001. Between 2006 and 2010, studies had the highest pooled prevalence (25.0%, CI: 12.0 – 44.8%). There was a decrease in OHB pooled prevalence at the beginning of 2011. Conclusion: The findings of this review revealed a significant prevalence of OHB in Southeast Asia (10.5%) and a fall in the incidence of OHB over the last decade in Southeast Asia. The high prevalence of OHB in Southeast Asia, despite the drop in OHB incidence within the last decades, stirs the need for effective HBV prevention.
Keywords
Occult hepatitis B; OBI; southeast Asia; meta-analysis; systematic review


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