Prevalence of HCV among patients with HIV in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are major public health issues worldwide. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HCV among patients with HIV in Iran and evaluate the demographic and behavioral factors associated with a heterogeneity of results.

Methods

MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, Embase, and 2 Persian databases, including Scientific Information Database (SID) and Magiran, were used for a systematic search from January 1, 2005 to February 26, 2022. Data were analyzed according to country, publication time, enrolment time, number of patients, gender, mean age, HIV/HCV diagnosis method, and HIV/HCV treatment. The analysis was carried out using R and the metafor package.

Results

We found that 60.94 (95% CI 54.59–67.11) HIV-infected people in Iran were co-infected with HCV. The greatest burden of this co-infection was in the Hamedan 86.67 (62.12, 96.26), Kashan 85.71 (75.03, 92.30), followed by the Kerman 73.94(66.75, 80.04). The lowest prevalence of HBV-HCV co-infection was observed in Kermanshah at 11.91 (9.98, 13.98).

Conclusion

HBV-HCV co-infection is a challenging and important medical condition because of its variable clinical manifestations, increased risk of cirrhosis and HCC, and unpredictable treatment response. Due to the heterogeneous distribution pattern of HBV–HCV infection in Iran, continuous prevention and control measurements and the implementation of further epidemiologic studies are necessary.