Table 4.
Results of the meta-analyses for hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence measures in Iran stratified by populations’ risk of exposure.
| Population at risk | Studies | Samples | HCV prevalence | Heterogeneity measures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total N | Total n | Range (%) | Mean (%) | 95% CI | Q (p-value)ª | I² (confidence limits)c | Prediction interval (%)d | ||
| General population (populations at low risk) | 122 | 16,073,479 | 0.0–3.1 | 0.3 | 0.2–0.4 | 56269.6 (p < 0.0001) | 99.8% (99.8–99.8%) | 0.0–1.5 | |
| Populations at high risk | 208 | 55,257 | 0.0–90.0 | 32.1 | 28.1–36.2 | 217272.1 (p < 0.0001) | 99.0% (99.0–99.1%) | 0.0–88.5 | |
| PWID | 56 | 17,999 | 11.3–88.9 | 52.2 | 46.9–57.5 | 2615 (p < 0.0001) | 97.9% (97.6–98.1%) | 15.8–87.3 | |
| Populations at high risk of healthcare-related exposures | 127 | 32,517 | 0.0–90.0 | 20.0 | 16.4–23.9 | 8786.2 (p < 0.0001) | 98.6% (98.5–98.8%) | 0.0–69.7 | |
| Populations at intermediate risk | 70 | 36,879 | 0.0–48.0 | 6.2 | 3.4–9.6 | 9,128 (p < 0.0001) | 99.2% (99.2–99.3%) | 0.0–49.9 | |
| Special clinical populations | 72 | 55,187 | 0.0–69.1 | 4.6 | 3.2–6.1 | 2293.6 (p < 0.0001) | 96.9% (96.5–97.3%) | 0.0–21.6 | |
| Populations with liver-related conditions | 28 | 6,338 | 0.0–34.9 | 7.5 | 4.3–11.4 | 639.5 (p < 0.0001) | 95.8% (94.8–96.6%) | 0.0–35.2 | |
| Other special clinical populations | 44 | 48,849 | 0.0–69.1 | 2.7 | 1.8–3.6 | 520.6 (p < 0.0001) | 91.7% (89.8–93.3%) | 0.0–9.6 | |
aAbbreviations: CI, confidence interval.
bQ: Cochran Q statistic assessing the existence of heterogeneity in HCV prevalence estimates.
cI²: a measure assessing the magnitude of between-study variation that is due to difference in HCV prevalence estimates across studies rather than chance.
dPrediction interval: a measure estimating the 95% interval in which the true HCV prevalence in a new HCV study will lie.