Table 3.
Subgroup analyses on the effect of delivery mode on the risk of hepatitis B virus vertical transmission
| Characteristic | No. of reports | RR (95% CI) | P for test | I 2(%) | P for heterogeneity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All studies | 30 | 0.51 (0.44–0.60) | <0.001 | 29.3 | 0.069 |
| Maternal HbeAg status | |||||
| HBeAg+ | 6 | 0.59 (0.44–0.78) | <0.001 | 0.0 | 0.731 |
| HBeAg- | 2 | 0.33 (0.16–0.68) | 0.003 | 21.1 | 0.260 |
| Mixed | 14 | 0.53 (0.42–0.68) | <0.001 | 40.3 | 0.059 |
| Not reported | 8 | 0.45 (0.32–0.63) | <0.001 | 43.2 | 0.090 |
| Maternal HBIG administration | |||||
| Yes (100%) | 2 | 0.63 (0.28–1.44) | 0.276 | 0.0 | 0.427 |
| No | 9 | 0.44 (0.27–0.72) | 0.001 | 22.1 | 0.247 |
| Mixed | 4 | 0.54 (0.23–1.30) | 0.169 | 61.2 | 0.052 |
| Not reported | 15 | 0.54 (0.42–0.70) | <0.001 | 32.9 | 0.105 |
| Infant HBIG administration | |||||
| Yes (100%) | 17 | 0.55 (0.42–0.71) | <0.001 | 36.9 | 0.064 |
| Mixed | 4 | 0.63 (0.43–0.92) | 0.017 | 0.0 | 0.594 |
| Not reported | 9 | 0.45 (0.35–0.57) | <0.001 | 29.7 | 0.182 |
| Infant vaccine | |||||
| 0–1-6 months | 23 | 0.55 (0.44–0.67) | <0.001 | 14.1 | 0.268 |
| 1–2-7 months | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Not reported | 6 | 0.41 (0.32–0.54) | <0.001 | 23.7 | 0.256 |
| Follow-up time | |||||
| ≥ 1 month | 24 | 0.58 (0.48–0.71) | <0.001 | 22.7 | 0.157 |
| ≤ 24 h | 6 | 0.41 (0.32–0.54) | <0.001 | 23.7 | 0.256 |
| Region | |||||
| EDA | 22 | 0.55 (0.45–0.67) | <0.001 | 34.8 | 0.056 |
| CLDA | 2 | 0.38 (0.26–0.56) | <0.001 | 0.0 | 0.978 |
| WUDA | 3 | 0.43 (0.23–0.80) | 0.008 | 26.6 | 0.256 |
| Mixed | 3 | 0.63 (0.40–0.97) | 0.037 | 0.0 | 0.573 |
Abbreviations: HBeAg hepatitis B e antigen, HBIG hepatitis B immune globulin, RR relative risk, CI confidence interval, EDA eastern developed areas, CLDA central less developed areas, WUDA western or undeveloped areas