Hepatitis C virus epidemiology in Yemen: Systematic review

Bacground and Aims: To identify and well-characterize the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in different populations in Yemen. Also, to determine the future epidemiological study areas in Yemen. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted with the use of the PRISMA guidelines. Between 1980 to 2020, a comprehensive search was done for any epidemiological data on hepatitis C in Yemen that were conducted in each PubMed, web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Results: Forty-nine (49) studies were matching the inclusion and exclusion criteria from the four databases. After analyzing these 49 studies we found that in the general group of the population the prevalence was ranged between 0.07%-8.5%. Where the highest prevalence was in pregnant women (up to 8.5%) then the public (up to 6%) then blood donors and children up to 3% and 2.8% respectively. In the intermediate-risk group, hepatitis C virus infection prevalence was ranged between 1.03%-3.5% where all population was from the health department workers. In the high-risk group, the range was between 6.4%-62.7%, and the highest prevalence was recorded in liver disease patients. In the patient’s group the range of hepatitis C virus infection prevalence was between 0%-46%, while the sickle cell anemia patients were the lowest prevalence the chronic renal failure patients had the highest prevalence. Conclusion: This systemic review demonstrates a high prevalence of hepatitis C infection in Yemen. There is also a need to expand the scope of research and pay attention to new research groups and other cities to get a more comprehensive idea of the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus in Yemen.

Yemen’de hepatit C virüsü epidemiyolojisi: Sistematik derleme

Giriş ve Amaç: Yemen’deki farklı popülasyonlarda hepatit C virüsü enfeksiyonunun prevalansını belirlemek, iyi karakterize etmek ve ayrıca, Yemen’de gelecekteki epidemiyolojik çalışma alanlarını belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: PRISMA yönergelerinin kullanımıyla sistematik bir inceleme yapıldı. Yemen’deki hepatit C ile ilgili; PubMed, web of Science, Scopus ve Google Scholar’da 1980 ile 2020 arasında yürütülen, herhangi bir epidemiyolojik veri için kapsamlı bir araştırma yapıldı. Bulgular: Kırk dokuz (49) çalışma, dört veri tabanındaki dahil etme ve dışlama kriterleriyle eşleşti. Bu 49 çalışmanın analizi ile nüfusun genel grubunda prevalansın %0.07-%8.5 arasında değiştiğini bulduk. En yüksek prevalansın hamile kadınlarda olduğu (%8.5’e kadar), ardından genel (%6’ya kadar), ardından da sırasıyla %3 ve %2.8 ile kan bağışçıları ve çocuklarda olduğu görüldü. Orta risk grubunda, tüm popülasyon sağlık departmanı çalışanlarından olmak üzere, hepatit C virüsü enfeksiyonu prevalansı %1.03-3.5 arasında değişiyordu. Yüksek riskli grupta, prevalans aralığı %6.4-%62.7 arasında olup, en yüksek prevalans karaciğer hastalığı olanlarda kaydedilmiştir. Hasta grubunda hepatit C virüsü enfeksiyonu prevalansı aralığı %0-%46 arasındayken, orak hücreli anemili hastalar en düşük prevalansa, kronik böbrek yetmezliği olan hastalarsa en yüksek prevalansa sahipti. Sonuç: Bu sistemik derleme, Yemen’deki hepatit C enfeksiyonu prevalansının yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir. Yemen’deki hepatit C virüsünün prevalansı hakkında daha kapsamlı bir fikir edinmek için araştırma kapsamını genişletmeye ve yeni araştırma gruplarına ve diğer şehirlere dikkat etmeye ihtiyaç vardır.

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