Category Archives: Epidemiology
Antiretroviral drug use and the risk of falls in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: The risk of falls in people living with HIV (PLHIVs) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has received little attention in the literature. The aim of the meta-analysis is to quantify...
Prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, drug use, and sexual behaviors among street children in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background and Aims Street children face a disproportionately higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to high‐risk sexual and drug use...
Social network strategies to distribute HIV self-testing kits: A global systematic review and network meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Social network strategies, in which social networks are utilized to influence individuals or communities, are increasingly being used to deliver human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) interventions to key populations. We...
A systematic review and meta-analysis on the correlation between HIV infection and multidrug-resistance tuberculosis
Background The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in HIV-positive people poses a significant challenge to international efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB). Many studies found conflicting results when examining the correlation...
Association of naturally acquired type-specific HPV antibodies and subsequent HPV re-detection: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Understanding the role of naturally acquired (i.e., infection-induced) human papillomavirus (HPV) antibodies against reinfection is important given the high incidence of this sexually transmitted infection. However, the protective effect...
HIV prevalence in transgender populations and cisgender men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa 2010–2022: A meta-analysis
Background and Aims Street children face a disproportionately higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to high‐risk sexual and drug use...
Demand creation and retention strategies for oral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men and transgender women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) have a disproportionately higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection than other groups. Oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis...
Statistical methods applied for the assessment of the HIV cascade and continuum of care: A systematic scoping review
OBJECTIVES: This scoping review aims to identify and synthesise existing statistical methods used to assess the progress of HIV treatment programmes in terms of the HIV cascade and continuum of...
Geographic and population distributions of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and HIV-2 circulating subtypes: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis (2010–2021)
BACKGROUND: HIV poses significant challenges for vaccine development due to its high genetic mutation and recombination rates. Understanding the distribution of HIV subtypes (clades) across regions and populations is crucial....
Barriers and facilitators for interventions to improve ART adherence in Sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a significant public health issue, with sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) at its epicentre. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been introduced to decrease new infections and deaths,...
The association of women’s empowerment with HIV-related indicators: A pooled analysis of demographic and health surveys in sub-Saharan Africa
Background Women’s empowerment is an important factor for HIV prevention, but the association with HIV-related indicators has never been quantified. In this study, we examined the association between women’s empowerment...
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV patients in Ghana: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Maintaining a high level of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical to limiting rapid viral replication, drug resistance, and viral transmission. However, ART adherence remains a major challenge in...
