Prevalence of hepatitis E in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection by the presence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

STUDY

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

Systematic searches were conducted in the Medline, Lilacs and Embase databases, selecting 81 studies comprising 38,951 individuals in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. Analyses were performed by using the random-effects model. Data analysis considered study cohort and geographic location.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hepatitis E in LAC ranged from 0 % to 36 % and the overall prevalence was 9.0 %, with important heterogeneity (I2 = 97.3 %). Meta-analysis of subgroups showed prevalence of hepatitis E of 9.0 % in the general population, 6.0 % in blood donors, 9.0 % in rural population, 21.0 % in occupational exposure to pigs, 9.0 % in pregnant women, 7.0 % in immunocompromised individuals, 12.0 % in individuals with chronic liver disease and 9.0 % in individuals with acute hepatitis. According to geographic location, the prevalence of hepatitis E was 7.0 % in Argentina, 16.0 % in Bolivia, 7.0 % in Brazil, 17.0 % in Colombia and 24.0 % in Cuba. The generated funnel plot appeared asymmetric, with evidence of bias according to Egger (p = 0.000) and Begg (p = 0.003) tests. In the analysis, which included only studies with a quality score >5, the prevalence of hepatitis E was 8.0 %. When analysing studies with sample sizes greater than 200 and 500, we identified prevalences of 8.0 % and 7.0 %, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The information obtained in this review warns about the current consolidated prevalence of hepatitis E in LAC, which can be a tool for planning prevention strategies.