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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Jul 23;13(1):11880.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37941-0.

Meta-analysis and moderator analysis of the seroprevalence of hepatitis E in South-Eastern Asia

Yakubu Egigogo Raji  1   2 , Ooi Peck Toung  3 , Niazlin Mohd Taib  1 , Zamberi Bin Sekawi  4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analysis and moderator analysis of the seroprevalence of hepatitis E in South-Eastern Asia

Yakubu Egigogo Raji et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

By 2030, the World Health Organization wants to decrease viral hepatitis incidence and mortality by 90% and 65%, respectively. One of the agents responsible for the increased burden of viral hepatitis is the hepatitis E virus (HEV). This emerging pathogen is prevalent worldwide causing both acute and chronic infection. The rising risk profile of HEV has become a source of increased global public health concern. Despite this challenge, South-Eastern Asia (SEA), where many at-risk people are found, lacks uniform HEV prevalence data. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the overall prevalence of hepatitis E in SEA. Using R statistical software, a random effect model was used to estimate the logit-transformed prevalence. Moderator analyses were used to investigate the potential sources of variation. Thirty-two studies comprising 29,944 with 6806 anti-HEV antibody-positive individuals were evaluated. The overall HEV seroprevalence in SEA was 21% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17-27) with high heterogeneity. At the country level, Laos has the highest prevalence estimate of 39% (CI: 16-69). Also, the studied population, year of publication, duration of sampling, and diagnostic method are significant HEV prevalence predictors accounting for 22.61% of the observed heterogeneity. The high HEV prevalence found in this study necessitates coordinated national and regional efforts to combat this emerging disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing the screening process updated from the previous review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot presentation of the overall HEV infection seroprevalence meta-analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Baujat plot shows the influence of studies on heterogeneity and pooled effect.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Graphical presentation of leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot for country-level subgroup analysis.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Map of South-Eastern Asia showing the respective countries pooled HEV seroprevalence.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Funnel plot of logit-transformed prevalence against standard error showing observed asymmetry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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