Incidence and Influencing Factors of New Hepatitis B Infections and Spontaneous Clearance: A Large-Scale, Community-Based Study in China

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is widely used in hepatitis B screening, and HBsAg seroclearance indicates hepatitis B eradication. Few studies have explored the incidence of and determinants for spontaneous seroclearance using a long-term follow-up cohort study. Our research aimed to examine the incidence of and influencing factors for hepatitis B virus infection and spontaneous clearance of HBsAg from a large-scale cohort in China.Methods: A total of 151,926 resident individuals in Tongxiang underwent HBsAg screening at least thrice in a 7-year period. Serum samples collected at baseline and follow-up examinations were tested for HBsAg. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze determinants of HBsAg seroclearance and persistent HBsAg presence.Results: Among the 151,926 participants, new hepatitis B infections occurred in 4,497 participants, yielding an incidence rate of 571.38 per 100,000 person-years. The incidence rate for males was higher than that for females. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, female gender, alcohol drinking history, hepatitis family history and middle-age group were predictors for persistent positive HBsAg status.Conclusions: The incidence rate of new hepatitis B infections was 571.38 per 100,000 person-years. Male and aged people in this community cohort have a higher infection rate. Alcohol drinking and hepatitis family history were risk factor leading to chronic infection. Female and middle-aged people were prone to persistent positive HBsAg status.

Dietary calcium is inversely associated with hepatitis B virus infection: an analysis of US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2020

“…Most studies about the factors affecting HBV infection focus on people's living habits, environment and so on [ 8 , 9 ]. In recent years, some studies have reported the relationship between dietary nutrients and HBV infection or liver cancer, such as the protective effect of dietary manganese on liver and the harm of fatty acids to liver [ 10 ].…”

Development of monoclonal antibodies to target the large surface protein of hepatitis B virus and their use in therapeutic and diagnostic applications

“…Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a partially double‐stranded DNA virus that belongs to the family of Hepadnaviridae and has a strict tropism for human liver. Although epidemiological studies have shown that most HBV patients recover, approximately 5%–10% of the cases progress to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection, with an elevated risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 1 . With 1.5 million new infections every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that over 250 million people were living with CHB in 2019, from whom an approximate of 820,000 deaths were reported, primarily due to liver cirrhosis and HCC (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b.…”

Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hepatitis B Among Freshmen in Jiangsu Based on Lasso-Logistic Regression and Structural Equation Model

“… 10 Previous studies had reported the incidence rate of spontaneous HBsAg among chronic infections remained between 0.5% and 1.4% annually. 11 Regarding the transmission routes of HBV, students are an exposed population because of multiple risky behaviors. 12 One meta-analysis about HBV of college freshmen in China, mainland had shown that the total positive rate of surface antigen (HBsAg) was 7.0%, 13 and the anti-HBs positive rate of college freshmen was low.…”