Worldwide prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus among patients with cirrhosis at country, region, and global levels: a systematic review

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Geneva University Hospitals (Switzerland) have found that infection with viral hepatitis accounts for almost two thirds of the global burden of cirrhosis of the liver, a known precursor of liver cancer. These findings, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, provide empirical data that can be used to accelerate the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat.

The researchers identified more than 500 eligible studies reporting on 1 376 503 patients with cirrhosis, and the systematic review included data from 86 countries or territories, representing 87% of the world’s population. They found that the prevalence of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients with cirrhosis was lower in Europe, the Americas, and Oceania than in Africa and Asia. The prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was found to be more heterogeneous, even within regions. The combined prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in patients with cirrhosis exceeded 50% in most Asian and African regions and was more than 90% in Northern Africa. Globally, 42% of patients with cirrhosis had HBV infection and 21% had HCV infection.

These systematically collected data provide the most complete and up-to-date prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in patients with cirrhosis by country, by region, and globally. The WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis called for the elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 through scaled-up prevention, testing, and treatment. The findings of this study will help to design interventions at the country level and to effectively allocate resources towards achieving the elimination goals.

Alberts CJ, Clifford GM, Georges D, Negro F, Lesi OA, Hutin YJF, de Martel C.
Worldwide prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus among patients with cirrhosis at country, region, and global levels: a systematic review
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol, Published online 13 May 2022;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00050-4

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