The Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Middle Eastern Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

ContextThe hepatitis C virus (HCV) is classified into seven genotypes and more than 100 subtypes. The treatment regimen, duration and efficacy of HCV therapy may vary according to the HCV genotype. Therefore, the HCV genotype should be determined prior to antiviral therapy. The objective of the current study was to review systematically all studies reporting the distribution of HCV genotypes in the countries that make up the Middle East.Evidence AcquisitionArticles were identified by searching electronic databases, including Scopus, PubMed and Google scholar, with timeline limits (articles published between 1995 and 2016). We carried out a systematic search regarding the distribution of HCV genotypes in Middle Eastern countries.ResultsA total of 579 studies were identified by the electronic search. Of these, a total of 187 were identified as eligible papers including 60,319 patients who were meta-analyzed for pooled distribution of HCV genotypes. In Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, and Iran, genotype 1 was the most prevalent HCV genotype with rates of 82% (95% CI, 82%-83%), 68% (95% CI, 67%-69%), 68% (95% CI, 59%-77%), and 55% (95% CI, 54%-55%), respectively. In Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, HCV genotype 4 was the most common genotype with rates of 86% (95% CI, 85%-88%), 60% (95% CI, 56%-64%), 56% (95% CI, 54%-55%), and 57% (95% CI, 54%-61%), respectively. On the basis of adjusted data, HCV genotype 4 was the most prevalent genotype in the Middle East region, with a rate of 74.7% (95% CI, 73.4%-76%), followed by genotype 1 at 15.1% (95% CI, 14.1%-16%).ConclusionsOur results showed that HCV genotype 4 is the most prevalent genotype in the Middle East region. However, HCV genotype 1 is the most prevalent among non-Arab countries in the region including Turkey, Iran, Cyprus, and Israel.

Epidemiology of Chronic Hepatitis C Infections at a Tertiary Care Centre in Oman

“…12 The prevalence of genotype 1 over other genotypes in the current study was similar to reports from other Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE; 49.2%), Turkey (95.6%), Iran (56.2%) and Bahrain (37%). [18][19][20][21] However, other studies from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq found that genotype 4 was most frequent. [22][23][24] In the current study, alcohol and tobacco use were relatively uncommon.…”

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Blood Donors in Middle Eastern Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Several recent studies have provided good evidence on genotype distribution and epidemiology of HCV in the Middle East region (57)(58)(59). However, determination of HCV seroprevalence rates among blood donors in the Middle East region could be helpful to develop prevention and control strategies more effectively.…”

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Mazandaran Province, Iran

“…Recently Ghaderi-Zefrehi et al (2016) performed a systematic review and meta-analysis and announced that in Turkey (82%), Israel (68%), Cyprus (68%), and Iran (55%), genotype 1 was the most prevalent HCV genotype; moreover, HCV genotype 4 was the most prevalent genotype in the Middle East (74.7%), followed by genotype 1 (15.1%) (38). According to the literature, HCV genotype 4 is the most prevalent among chronic liver patients in Egypt and Saudi Arabia (2,38), while in a previous study in Iran, genotype 1a was the predominant genotype, followed by 3a and 1b (39); these findings were inconsistent with the current results. Furthermore, in a previous study, 1a genotype was the most frequent genotype (44.9%), followed by genotypes 3a (39.6%) and 1b (11.3%) (33,40); these results were contradictory with our findings.…”