Table 4.
Pooled mean estimates for hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence for each of the six risk population categories in Pakistan.
| studies | samples | HCV prevalence |
pooled HCV prevalence |
heterogeneity measures |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| risk population | total n | total N | range (%) | median (%) | mean (%) | 95% CI | Q (p-value)a | I2 (confidence limits)b | prediction interval (%)c |
| general population (populations at low risk) | 148 | 1 352 080 | 0.4–50.6 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 5.7–6.7 | 17 552.0 (<0.0001) | 99.2% (99.1–99.2%) | 1.7–13.0 |
| high-risk clinical populations | 21 | 2377 | 7.8–68.0 | 33.3 | 34.5 | 27.0–42.3 | 294.3 (<0.0001) | 93.2% (90.9–94.9%) | 5.5–72.0 |
| populations at intermediate risk | 64 | 156 623 | 0.0–70.9 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 10.8–15.1 | 8680.5 (<0.0001) | 99.3% (99.2–99.3%) | 1.2–33.7 |
| special clinical populations | 20 | 11 940 | 1.1–80.8 | 15.5 | 16.9 | 6.2–31.3 | 5666.9 (<0.0001) | 99.7% (99.6–99.7%) | 0.0–90.2 |
| populations with liver-related conditions | 73 | 23 132 | 3.1–100.0 | 63.5 | 55.9 | 49.2–62.5 | 7028.9 (<0.0001) | 99.0% (98.9–99.1%) | 6.7–98.2 |
| PWID | 15 | 2815 | 7.8–93.8 | 44.7 | 53. 6 | 36.2–70.6 | 1181.9 (<0.0001) | 98.8% (98.6–99.0%) | 0.0–100 |
aQ: the Cochran's Q-statistic, a measure assessing the existence of heterogeneity in effect size.
bI²: a measure assessing the magnitude of between-study variation that is due to differences in effect size across studies rather than chance.
cPrediction interval: estimates the 95% interval in which the true effect size in a new HCV study will lie.