Global epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in dialysis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, immunity, risk factors, and beyond.
Alif Hasan Pranto, Ehsan Suez, Md Ekhtiar Uddin et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and immunity among dialysis patients using 79 articles selected from 479 studies. Pooled prevalence was 7.0% (95%CI: 6.1-8.0) for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 1.5% (95%CI: 1.0-1.9) for HBV-DNA. The review also estimated that 49.2% (95%CI: 30.2-68.1) had received HBV vaccination and 40.0% (95%CI: 31.1-48.8) had natural immunity. Blood transfusion was identified as the leading reported risk factor.
Key findings
- Pooled HBsAg prevalence was 7.0% (95%CI: 6.1-8.0); excluding outliers, it was 6.3%.
- Pooled HBV-DNA prevalence was 1.5% (95%CI: 1.0-1.9), unchanged after excluding outliers.
- An estimated 49.2% (95%CI: 30.2-68.1) had received HBV vaccination, while 40.0% (95%CI: 31.1-48.8) had natural immunity.
- Blood transfusion was the leading reported risk factor, followed by dialysis duration and HCV or other infections.
Why it matters
The pooled estimates indicate that HBV infection remains present among dialysis patients, while reported vaccination and natural immunity are not universal. The findings highlight the relevance of infection prevention and assessment of HBV status in dialysis settings. Differences in prevalence across regions also suggest that the burden is not uniform globally.
What to keep in mind
The estimates combine studies from different settings and include identified outliers; the abstract does not report the underlying studies’ sample sizes or follow-up.