Demographic, Epidemiologic, and Clinical Characteristics of Human Monkeypox Disease Pre- and Post-2022 Outbreaks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
(1) Background: In early May 2022, an increasing number of human monkeypox (mpox) cases were reported in non-endemic disparate regions of the world, which raised concerns. Here, we provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of mpox-confirmed patients presented in peer-reviewed publications over the 10 years before and during the 2022 outbreak from demographic, epidemiological, and clinical perspectives. (2) Methods: A systematic search was performed for relevant studies published in Pubmed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar from 1 January 2012 up to 15 February 2023. Pooled frequencies with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using the random or fixed effect model due to the estimated heterogeneity of the true effect sizes. (3) Results: Out of 10,163 articles, 67 met the inclusion criteria, and 31 cross-sectional studies were included for meta-analysis. Animal-to-human transmission was dominant in pre-2022 cases (61.64%), but almost all post-2022 reported cases had a history of human contact, especially sexual contact. The pooled frequency of MSM individuals was 93.5% (95% CI 91.0–95.4, I2: 86.60%) and was reported only in post-2022 included studies. The male gender was predominant in both pre- and post-2022 outbreaks, and the mean age of confirmed cases was 29.92 years (5.77–41, SD: 9.38). The most common clinical manifestations were rash, fever, lymphadenopathy, and malaise/fatigue. Proctalgia/proctitis (16.6%, 95% CI 10.3–25.6, I2: 97.76) and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.