Epidemiologic Studies on Viral Hepatitis: A Short Review

Context: Viral hepatitis is still considered as a major health concern. Defining the extent of the burden of this condition is the mainstay in choosing better strategies for its prevention and management. The aim of this study was to review the current knowledge on the worldwide prevalence of viral hepatitis, including Iran. Evidence Acquisition: A MEDLINE search spanning January 2000 to January 2012 was performed to identify the published literature addressing viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis, prevalence, hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV) were the keywords used for this search. Original research, review articles, and some selected references of those articles were reviewed. Results: Prevalence of viral hepatitis is widely different throughout the world. Overall prevalence of viral hepatitis is declining due to the improvements in preventive measures and immunization strategies. Conclusions: There are few studies on the prevalence of viral hepatitis in the general population of Iran. Most of the reports are from specific groups of patients. Further epidemiologic studies on the general population of Iran are recommended to discover the real burden of viral hepatitis.