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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Feb-Mar;157(2&3):135-151.
doi: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_382_23.

The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Arohi Chauhan  1 , Malik Parmar  2 , Girish Chandra Dash  3 , Hardik Solanki  4 , Sandeep Chauhan  4 , Jessica Sharma  3 , Krushna Chandra Sahoo  3 , Pranab Mahapatra  5 , Raghuram Rao  6 , Ravinder Kumar  6 , Kirankumar Rade  2 , Sanghamitra Pati  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Arohi Chauhan et al. Indian J Med Res. 2023 Feb-Mar.

Abstract

Background & objectives: The National Prevalence Survey of India (2019-2021) estimated 31 per cent tuberculosis infection (TBI) burden among individuals above 15 years of age. However, so far little is known about the TBI burden among the different risk groups in India. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis, aimed to estimate the prevalence of TBI in India based on geographies, sociodemographic profile, and risk groups.

Methods: To identify the prevalence of TBI in India, data sources such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Scopus were searched for articles reporting data between 2013-2022, irrespective of the language and study setting. TBI data were extracted from 77 publications and pooled prevalence was estimated from the 15 community-based cohort studies. Articles were reviewed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines and were sourced using a predefined search strategy from different databases.

Results: Out of 10,521 records, 77 studies (46 cross-sectional and 31 cohort studies) were included. The pooled TBI prevalence for India based on the community-based cohort studies was estimated as 41 per cent [95% confidence interval (CI) 29.5-52.6%] irrespective of the risk of acquiring it, while the estimation was 36 per cent (95% CI 28-45%) prevalence observed among the general population excluding high-risk groups. Regions with high active TB burden were found to have a high TBI prevalence such as Delhi and Tamil Nadu. An increasing trend of TBI was observed with increasing age in India.

Interpretation & conclusions: This review demonstrated a high prevalence of TBI in India. The burden of TBI was commensurate with active TB prevalence suggesting possible conversion of TBI to active TB. A high burden was recorded among people residing in the northern and southern regions of the country. Such local epidemiologic variation need to be considered to reprioritize and implement-tailored strategies for managing TBI in India.

Keywords: Epidemiology; prevalence; systematic review; tuberculosis infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Authors (MP, HS, SC and KR) are affiliated to the World Health Organization (WHO). The views expressed in this article are their own and not an official position of their respective institutions.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram. PRISMA, preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Community-based cohort studies TBI prevalence in India. TBI, tuberculosis infection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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