The prevalence of hepatitis C and hepatitis B in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in transgender and LGBT people and determine their pooled estimates worldwide. METHODS: Databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Ovid, Cochrane, PsycInfo) were searched from April 2000 to July 2021. The analyses were executed using the random-effects model in Stata 16. RESULTS: Ten studies, including eight studies on four transgender people and two studies on 2150 LGBTs, were included. The pooled prevalence of HCV and HBV in all transgender populations globally were 9% (95% CI 3–15%) and 11% (95% CI 2–20%), respectively. The corresponding prevalence in male-to-female transgender people were estimated as 5% (95% CI 1–9%) and 6% (95% CI 3–10%), respectively. These estimates in American transgenders were 10% (95% CI 5–25%) and 16% (95% CI 8–23%), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study was identified the overall prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in transgender people, which were higher than those in the general population.