The prevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B and C virus in hemodialysis patients in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Due to its invasive procedure patients on hemodialysis (HD) are at high risk of infections. Infections acquired in dialysis units can prolong hospitalization date and/or prolong illness in patients, and increase treatment cost. There are no adequate data on the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in HD patients. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and associated factors of HBV and HCV infections among HD patients in Africa. Method: The databases PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane library, web of science, African Journals Online, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched to identify relevant studies. The review was performed based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were extracted independently by two authors and analyzed using STATA 11. A random-effect model was fitted to estimate the pooled prevalence with their 95% confidence interval. To detect publication bias funnel plots analysis and Egger weighted regression tests were done. Results: The overall pooled prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among HD patients in Africa was 9.88% (95% CI: 7.20–12.56) I2 = 97.9% and 23.04% (95% CI: 18.51–2757) I2 = 99.6%, respectively. In addition, the pooled prevalence of HBV and HCV co-infection was 7.18% (95% CI: 3.15–11.20) I2 = 99.6%. Duration of dialysis was found to be the contributing factor for the occurrence of HBV and HCV among HD patients (OR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.01). Conclusion: This study showed that there is high prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in HD patients in Africa. Therefore, strict adherence to precautions of infection control measures, isolation of seropositive patients, improvement in infrastructures, adequate screening of HBV and HCV for the donated blood, and decentralized HD services is needed to minimize the risk of HBV and HCV infections in HD facilities.