Global prevalence of occult HBV infection in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction and Objectives: Occult HBV infection (OBI) is a specific form of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and has the possibility of developing into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in adults. This study aimed to estimate the global prevalence of occult HBV infection in children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for relevant studies on the prevalence of OBI in children and adolescents. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 16 software. Results: Fifty studies were included. The overall prevalence of OBI in children and adolescents was 7.5% (95% CI: 0.050–0.103). In different risk populations, OBI prevalence was remarkably high in the HIV-infected population (24.2%, 95% CI: 0.000–0.788). The OBI prevalence was 0.8% (95% CI:0.000–0.029) in the healthy population, 3.8% (95% CI:0.012–0.074) in the general population, and 6.4% (95% CI: 0.021–0.124) in children born to HBsAg-positive mothers. Based on different serological profiles, the prevalence of OBI in HBsAg-negative and anti-HBc-positive patients was 6.6% (95% CI: 0.016–0.136), 3.0% (95% CI: 0.009–0.059) in HBsAg-negative and anti-HBc-negative patients, 4.6% (95% CI: 0.015–0.088) in HBsAg-negative and anti-HBs-positive patients, and 3.7% (95% CI: 0.001–0.102) in HBsAg-negative and anti-HBs-negative patients. Conclusions: Despite HBV vaccination and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG), OBI is common in children and adolescents in high-risk groups.