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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancements and Challenges in Hepatitis B Virus Detection
Published on: December 15, 2023
Global prevalence of occult hepatitis B: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Dong-Ze Ji1, Xiao-Yu Pang2, Dan-Ting Shen2
1Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Abstract:
The study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) in the global population. We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane and Web of Science from database inception through 27 Dec, 2018. Studies reporting HBV-DNA serological data in previously undiagnosed hepatitis B patients were included. The data were further categorized according to the presence of risk factors. After an initial screening of 2,325 records, we finally included 98 articles about the prevalence of OBI from 34 countries and regions. The OBI prevalence was 0.82% (95% CI:0.69-0.96) in the general population, 16.26% (95% CI:10.97-22.34) in HIV patients, 13.99% (95% CI:8.33-20.79) in patients with other liver diseases, 4.25% (95% CI:1.64-7.87) in haemodialysis patients and 5.14% (95% CI:2.26-9.01) patients with other risk factors. In conclusion, OBI prevalence varies significantly across different populations and nations, which deserve attention from the public health authorities. Our results generate further epidemiological data to identify the population with OBI, which has important clinical implications in finding these high-risk populations to design preventive and management strategies.
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