Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29765698›Full record

ArticleRoyal Society open science2018

The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Pakistan: systematic review and meta-analyses.

Zaina Al Kanaani, Sarwat Mahmud, Silva P Kouyoumjian, Laith J Abu-Raddad

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Royal Society open science, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
66citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
11.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

66 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 153 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. Distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes and demography in the general population of Karachi, Sindh.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026
    Article
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  17. Article
  18. Review
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  20. Development of RT-LAMP assay for variants of HCV in Pakistan.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025
    Article

6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Zaina Al KanaaniInfectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation - Education City, PO Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
Sarwat MahmudInfectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation - Education City, PO Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
Silva P KouyoumjianInfectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation - Education City, PO Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.
Laith J Abu-RaddadInfectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation - Education City, PO Box 24144, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0003-0790-0506
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar · QACornell University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology in Pakistan and estimate the pooled mean HCV antibody prevalence in different risk populations, we systematically reviewed all available records of HCV incidence and/or prevalence from 1989 to 2016, as informed by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. This systematic review was reported following the PRISMA guidelines. Populations were classified into six categories based on the risk of exposure to HCV infection. Meta-analyses were performed using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models with inverse variance weighting. The search identified one HCV incidence study and 341 prevalence measures/strata. Meta-analyses estimated the pooled mean HCV prevalence at 6.2% among the general population, 34.5% among high-risk clinical populations, 12.8% among populations at intermediate risk, 16.9% among special clinical populations, 55.9% among populations with liver-related conditions and 53.6% among people who inject drugs. Most reported risk factors in analytical epidemiologic studies related to healthcare procedures. Pakistan is enduring an HCV epidemic of historical proportions-one in every 20 Pakistanis is infected. HCV plays a major role in liver disease burden in this country, and HCV prevalence is high in all-risk populations. Most transmission appears to be driven by healthcare procedures. HCV treatment and prevention must become a national priority.

Indexed as

epidemiologyHepatitis C virusincidenceMiddle East and North Africaprevalence

Identifiers

PMID29765698
PMCPMC5936963
OpenAlexW2797651289

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.