Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02807-2 (2023)

Title: Trend analysis of Hepatitis B and C among patients visiting health facility of Tigrai,
Ethiopia, 2014-2019
Version: 1 Date: 11 Apr 2023
Reviewer's report:
Comments and questions
Overall, the use of the English language should be addressed. There are typographical and
English language usage (especially grammatical usage) errors that must be corrected. Since your
manuscript lacks line numbers, you may find it difficult to follow the comments and questions
I have raised. Line numbers should've been included.
Abstract:
# It should be clear and precise, paying special attention to the sections on methodology, results,
and conclusions.
# Possible associated factors are not addressed.
Background:
# What is the global epidemiology of viral hepatitis, and what percentage of cases are caused
by HBV and HCV? How prevalent are HBV and HCV?
# Use commas before the word ‘respectively’, and this should be addressed in the whole
document.
# There are ideas or information without reference/s; they should be addressed.
# All the information needs to be rewritten in a clear and precise manner.
Methods:
# The 'Study area, design, and period' section contains incomplete and unnecessary sentences
(this should be addressed accordingly).
# The authors did not provide information about the laboratory facilities for HBV and HCV
testing and the type of patients tested for hepatitis viruses.
# You should define the general and study populations in detail. We all know that pregnant
women are routinely screened for HBV and HCV, particularly in developing countries. On rare
occasions, people suspected of having hepatitis seek medical attention at healthcare institutions.
The point is, the population you want to address in this study may not be HBV and HCV
suspected individuals, which defiantly affects your result presentation and discussion.
# Rewrite your inclusion and exclusion criteria with better and more precise language. Remove
‘number of'...
# According to the authors, they tracked the clients' records (charts) to address the missing data
on the laboratory logbook/s. If they can access the charts, why don't they plan to thoroughly
evaluate the associated factors, including clinical data?
# The methodology section should include the laboratory methods or procedures for detecting
HBV and HCV. What laboratory methods did the hospital use from 2014 to 2019? The methods
used influence the prevalence of hepatitis infection and the frequency of hepatitis viruses.
# It is better to separate the Ethical statement from the Quality control section.
# Operational or terms of definitions:  For example, what does Hepatitis B infection and Hepatitis
C infection mean in your study?
# SPSS: ‘Statistical package for social sciences’ OR ‘Statistical product and service solution’,
which one is correct?
Results:
# The presentation is not clearly done. It should be clear and precise.
# The tables are not clearly presented.
# More variables should be addressed.
Discussion:
# The authors attempted to compare their findings with findings from other sources, but on what
basis do they claim that their result is higher, lower, or consistent with other findings?... by
simply looking at the numbers????
# The authors also explained why there is a difference in findings but did not provide references
to back up their claims.
# More and detained comparations should be made.