Prevalence of Genotype 3a in Different Regions of Pakistan: A systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The present study aims to explore the prevalence of genotype 3a under hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among all the provinces of Pakistan. It is alarming to note that Pakistan stands in the second position for having a large number of cases of HCV every year. Six major genotypes characterize HCV. To study the overall prevalence of HCV and its associated genotype 3a in all the provinces of Pakistan, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed using STATA version 14.2. The published studies conducted in all the regions of Pakistan reported the incidence of HCV genotype 3a were shortlisted. The pooled summary estimates were calculated along with their confidence interval by using the "Metaprop" command. The literature review showed that the prevalence of HCV genotype 3a is most common in all the provinces of Pakistan. It is revealed that the prevalence of HCV genotype 3a was 86.46% in Punjab, which is the highest among all the regions.