Significant histologic alterations in untreated chronic hepatitis B children: a meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in children poses a significant public health challenge, yet data on the prevalence of significant liver lesions in this group are limited.

Methods

A comprehensive meta-analysis pooled data on the proportion of significant liver lesions among CHB children. Using the double arcsine transformation and a random-effects model, we combined data on moderate to severe liver inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to explore heterogeneity.

Results

Twenty-two studies with 3,037 participants were included. The proportion of moderate to severe inflammation was 41.54% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 29.14-54.47%], notable fibrosis was 31.71% [95% CI: 23.85-40.11%], and cirrhosis was 2.27% [95%

SUBMITTER: Huang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12613367 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature