High-quality meta-analyses are required for development of evidence in medicine

摘要

To the Editor-We read with great interest the recently published article by Hagan et al [1]. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the world [2]. Intravenous drug use is now the main risk factor of HCV infection, and the prevalence of hepatitis C infection among intravenous drug users remains very high [3].Meta-analysis, the combination of results from different studies to produce a pooled estimation of an effect or an association, continues to attract controversy. Some scientists have rejected it because of many biases affecting the data. In contrast, others believe that meta-analysis may provide fresh evidence of advantages, effectiveness, and adverse effects of treatments [4]. Meta-analysis allows us to better evaluate prevalence rates and determine which interventions have the best evidence of effectiveness.