Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the overall prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among hemodialysis patients reported from the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the WHO (EMRO) countries and the Middle East. Methods: Several databases such as PubMed, ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE and Scopus were searched for publications reporting HBsAg prevalence among hemodialysis patients up to December 2016. Results: From all the samples, the pooled prevalence of HBsAg was estimated (95% CI) to be 4.4% (4.4–4.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg in hemodialysis units in the Middle Eastern countries is decreasing over the recent years. Nevertheless, it is important to conduct more studies in these regions to achieve more representative results.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This study has been funded by Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, grant number 001024. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.