title: Prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Thailand: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the number of people living in Thailand with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), a major cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer, in view of the implementation of programs to prevent CHB complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using PubMed/Medline and ScienceDirect, all studies reporting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence estimates conducted in Thailand and published between 1975 and 2015 were reviewed systematically. Pooled prevalence estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and potential sources of heterogeneity investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A high heterogeneity was observed between prevalence estimates. There was a significant decrease in the 150 estimates of HBsAg prevalence with more recent decades of birth (p<0.001), even before the implementation of the national universal immunization program in 1992. When restricted to the general population, the pooled prevalence estimate was 5.1% (95% CI 4.3-6.0%), which would translate to an estimated number of individuals with CHB living in Thailand in 2015 as high as three million.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high burden of CHB in Asian countries is a major challenge for the incorporation of national programs to prevent CHB complications within health care systems.
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 187/10, Changklan Rd, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand.
authors: Charline
authors: C
authors: Leroi
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 187/10, Changklan Rd, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand.
authors: Pierrick
authors: P
authors: Adam
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 187/10, Changklan Rd, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand.
authors: Woottichai
authors: W
authors: Khamduang
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors: Suttipong
authors: S
authors: Kawilapat
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 187/10, Changklan Rd, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Ngo-Giang-Huong
authors: Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors: Sumet
authors: S
authors: Ongwandee
authors: Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors: Suchada
authors: S
authors: Jiamsiri
authors: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) UMI 174-PHPT, Marseille, France; Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 187/10, Changklan Rd, Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: gonzague.jourdain@ird.fr.
authors: Gonzague
authors: G
authors: Jourdain
mesh_terms: D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Hepatitis B surface antigen; Meta-analysis; Prevalence; Thailand