JOURNAL ARTICLE
MULTICENTER STUDY
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Carriers of inactive hepatitis B virus are still at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The risk and the predictors of liver disease progression in carriers of inactive hepatitis B virus (HBV) are unclear.

METHODS: Participants in the Risk Evaluation of Viral Load Elevation and Associated Liver Disease/Cancer-Hepatitis B Virus (REVEAL-HBV) study who were seronegative for hepatitis B e antigen; had serum levels of HBV DNA <10,000 copies/mL; and did not have cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, or increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase were classified as carriers of inactive HBV (n = 1932). Study participants who were seronegative for HB surface antigen and antibodies against hepatitis C virus, yet had similar clinical liver features, were the controls (n = 18,137). Liver-related death and new cases of hepatocellular carcinoma were ascertained through computerized data linkage with National Cancer Registry and Death Certification profiles. The disease progression rates were estimated. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for risk predictors were derived from Cox regression models.

RESULTS: There were 20,069 participants, contributing a total of 262,122 person-years, with a mean follow-up of 13.1 years. Annual incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death were 0.06% and 0.04%, respectively, for inactive HBV carriers; rates were 0.02%, and 0.02% for controls, respectively. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for carriers of inactive HBV, compared to controls, were 4.6 (95% confidence interval: 2.5-8.3) for hepatocellular carcinoma and 2.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.1-4.1) for liver-related death. Older age and alcohol drinking habits were independent predictors of risk for carriers of inactive HBV to develop hepatocellular carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS: Carriers of inactive HBV have a substantial risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death compared with individuals not infected with HBV.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app