KUMJ | VOL. 19 | NO. 1 | ISSUE 73 | JAN.-MARCH, 2021
Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C among HIV Infected Patients in Nepal over 1990-2020
Shrestha DB, Budhathoki P, Sedhai YR, Shrestha LB, Awal S, Upadhaya Regmi B, Yadav J, Baniya R, THapaliya S, Dangal G
Abstract: Background
Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) are viral infections caused by corresponding viruses.
Here in this study we planned to conduct this meta-analysis to pool data on the
prevalence and risk factors of HBV and/or HCV among HIV patients in Nepal.
Method
We used MOOSE guideline for the systemic review of available literature. We
searched online databases using appropriate keywords. We used CMA-3 for data
synthesis. Odds ratio, and proportion were used to estimate the outcome with a
95% confidence interval where appropriate. We assessed the heterogeneity using
the I-squared (I
2
) test.
Result
We included nine studies for our synthesis. Pooling of data showed HBV in 4.6% (CI:
3.7-5.6), HCV in 19.7% (CI: 10.8-33.0), both HBV and HCV in 1.3% (CI: 0.5-3.7) in
HIV affected individuals. Among HBV co-infected HIV positive patients, 59.5% (CI:
25.5-86.3) were male; 76.1% (CI: 30.1-96.0) were married and 43.6% (CI: 3.8-93.8)
had a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU). Among HCV co-infected HIV positive
individuals 88.3% (CI: 73.6-95.4) were male; 63.6% (CI: 55.4-71.1) were married;
91.5% (CI: 68.6-98.1) were literate; 59.2% (CI: 49.9-67.9) were on ART; and 92.2%
(95%CI: 84.9-96.1) had a history of IVDU.
Conclusion
The pooled prevalence of co-infection with HBV, HCV, and combined HBV and HCV
were 4.6%, 19.7% and 1.3% respectively among HIV positive patients. Thus, it is
necessary to appropriately screen for HBV and HCV in individuals diagnosed with
HIV and high-risk populations. IVDU remains the most common risk factor found in
co-infected individuals.
Keyword : Coinfection, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV Infection, Intravenous, Substance abuse
