Assessing the Diagnostic Accuracy of SD BIOLINE for Detection of Hepatitis C Virus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a globally widespread ribonucleic acid virus that transmits through blood and sexual contact. Its morbidity and mortality are particularly higher in economically underdeveloped areas. Therefore, an economical and effective diagnostic method for detection of HCV is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the SD BIOLINE rapid diagnostic test for HCV detection. We searched for studies related to SD BIOLINE and HCV in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library and then designed inclusion and exclusion criteria. After extracting valid data, the included literature was evaluated with the quality assessment tool Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. After our data analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic accuracy, summary receiver operating characteristic curve, funnel plot, box plot, and Fagan plot of the diagnostic method were determined. Nine articles with nine sets of data were finally included. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.98, respectively, the positive likelihood ratio was 79.53, the negative likelihood ratio was 0.05, the diagnostic odds ratio was 1590.32, and the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.9958. The SD BIOLINE test has the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity, low cost, and easy operation for diagnosing HCV. Therefore, we recommend using SD BIOLINE for rapid and effective screening of HCV, which is especially applicable for economically underdeveloped areas.