Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in adults in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
With the introduction of more efficient treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV), improved epidemiological information is required at the country level to allow evidence-based policymaking for elaboration of national strategies...
Patient-reported barriers and facilitators to antiretroviral adherence in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
OBJECTIVE: To identify the range and frequency of patient-reported barriers and facilitators to antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). DESIGN: Studies from 2005-2016 were identified by searching 10...
Conceptualizing care continua: Lessons from HIV, hepatitis C virus, tuberculosis and implications for the development of improved care and prevention continua
BACKGROUND: To examine the application of continuum models to tuberculosis, HIV, and other conditions; to theorize the concept of continua; and to learn lessons that could inform the development of...
Association between antiretroviral therapy adherence and employment status: Systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the employment status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: We searched the Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central...
Seroprevalence and diagnosis of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among blood donors
BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is one of the most important therapeutic options of life-saving intervention for recipients who are in diseased or non-diseased conditions with severe blood loss. However, it is...
Incidence of hepatitis C in HIV positive and negative men who have sex with men 2000-2016: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: There is a need for systematic reviews and meta-analyses to synthesize the epidemiology, and the riskfactors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) among HIV-coinfected and HIV negative men who have...
Religion, spirituality, and HIV clinical outcomes: A systematic review of the literature
This systematic review evaluates the association between religion, spirituality and clinical outcomes in HIV-infected individuals. A systematic literature review was conducted for all English language articles published between 1980 and...
Diagnostic value and safety of stereotactic biopsy in acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients with intracranial lesions: Systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value and safety of stereotactic biopsy in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with intracranial lesions via meta-analysis. METHODS: Relevant cohort studies were identified through...
Barriers and facilitators to interventions improving retention in HIV care: A qualitative evidence meta-synthesis
Retention in HIV care is vital to the HIV care continuum. The current review aimed to synthesize qualitative research to identify facilitators and barriers to HIV retention in care interventions....
Interventions to reduce loss to follow-up during all stages of the HIV care continuum in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
The continuum of care for successful HIV treatment includes HIV testing, linkage, engagement in care, and retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is a significant disruption to...
