Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Among Prison Inmates in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Viral hepatitis is still considered a major cause of the burden of disease in India. It is the most common cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Prisoners are one of the groups at most risk for hepatitis. This study aimed to estimate the pooled estimates of the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among prisoners in India. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for study selection. The extensive search was done through databases of PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. All cross-sectional studies conducted to find the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among prison inmates in India published till June 2020 were screened and included in this meta-analysis. The analysis was conducted using the random-effects model. The heterogeneity was estimated using the I2 indicator. After extracting the required data, the meta-analysis was performed using the software Stata, version 12 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, Texas). The study is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; registration no: CRD42020185137). Out of a total of 970 articles searched through the database of PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar, five studies that met the inclusion criteria were included and analyzed. Hepatitis B and C prevalence were given in four studies each. The results showed that the overall prevalence of hepatitis B and C in prisoners was 8% (95% CI: 4-12) and 7% (95% CI: 1-13). The studies show high heterogeneity with no evidence of publication bias. The prevalence of hepatitis B and C among male prisoners was 4.48% (95% CI: 3.64%-5.32%) and 6.35% (95% CI: 5.48%-7.23%), respectively, while the prevalence among female prisoners was 1.53% (95% CI: 0.31-2.75) and 2.10% (95% CI: 0.28-3.93), respectively. The study findings show a high prevalence of hepatitis B and C in prisoners, which is of particular concern. Appropriate and effective interventions to reduce the transmission of hepatitis B and C in prisons are essential.