SynthesisJournal of infection and public health2022
Epidemiology of occult hepatitis B and C in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of infection and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Cameroon: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and biomarker profiles of HBV/HDV coinfection and occult HBV infection among patients attending Bimbilla Hospital, Northern Ghana.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- A Review of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus Co-Infection in Botswana.Viruses · 2026Review
- Characteristics of occult hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in the Center Region of Cameroon: rationale for universal administration of hepatitis B birth dose vaccine.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Detection of seronegative occult hepatitis C infection in blood donors and hospital patients from Argentina.Virus genes · 2026Article
- Hepatitis B immune escape and drug resistance mutations among blood donors in Gabon during the year 2022.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- [Epidemiology of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C infections and priority interventions for the elimination of Hepatitis B: a study in the Far North Region of Cameroon].The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
- The status of occult HBV infection in a high endemic region: risk of community HBV transmission and reactivation.BMC research notes · 2025Article
- Influence of Occult Hepatitis B Infection on Blood Transfusion Safety and Its Countermeasures.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The hidden epidemic of occult hepatitis B and C among injection drug users (IDUs): A call for action.International journal of health sciencesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccult hepatitis B (OBI) and C (OCI) infections lead to hepatic crises including cases of liver cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). OBI and OCI also pose a significant problem of their transmissibility. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of OBI and OCI in the African continent, a region highly endemic for classical hepatitis B and C viruses.
methodsFor this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched: PubMed, Web of Science, African Journal Online and African Index Medicus for published studies on the prevalence of OBI and OCI in Africa. Study selection and data extraction were performed by at least two independent investigators. Heterogeneity (I²) was assessed using the χ² test on the Cochran Q statistic and H parameters. Sources of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup analyses. This study was registered in PROSPERO, with reference number CRD42021252772.
resultsWe obtained 157 prevalence data for this meta-analysis, from 134 studies for OBI prevalence; 23 studies on OCI prevalence, and a single study on the OBI case fatality rate. The overall estimate for the prevalence of OBI was 14.8% [95% CI = 12.2-17.7] among 18579 participants. The prevalence of seronegative OBI and seropositive OBI was 7.4% [95% CI = 3.8-11.8] and 20.0% [95% CI = 15.3-25.1] respectively. The overall estimate for the prevalence of OCI was 10.7% [95% CI = 6.6-15.4] among 2865 participants. The pooled prevalence of seronegative OCI was estimated at 10.7% [95%CI = 4.8-18.3] and that of seropositive OCI at 14.4% [95%CI = 5.2-22.1]. In Sub-group analysis, patients with malignancies, chronic hepatitis C, and hemodialysis had a higher OCI prevalence. While those with malignancies, liver disorders, and HIV positive registered highest OBI prevalence.
conclusionThis review shows a high prevalence of OBI and OCI in Africa, with variable prevalence between countries and population groups.
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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.