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About one in five Americans with RA gets tested for hepatitis B
Among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the overall hepatitis B testing rate was 20.3% in the United States and 24.5% in Taiwan, according to recently published data.
“[We] found the [hepatitis B virus] HBV testing rates were low in the [United States] U.S. as well as Taiwan, although it gradually increased in both countries over the last decade,” Tzu-Chieh Lin, PhD, in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “The uncertainty of universal or risk-based testing strategies may be one of the reasons for non-specific ACR recommendations, leading to low testing rates.”
Lin and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who started their first disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) in the United States (n = 14,568) or Taiwan (n = 46,265). Researchers defined the baseline period as the 1-year time frame prior to receipt of DMARD. They included hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, hepatitis B e antigen hepatitis B e antibody and hepatitis B virus DNA tests. They calculated testing rate by year.
Researchers found the overall testing rates were 20.3% and 24.5% in the United States and Taiwan, respectively. During the study period, the rate increased from 13.1% to 23% in the United States and from 16.8% to 30% in Taiwan. More than one type of HBV test was used in 43.4% of patients in the United States and 16.3% of patients in Taiwan. During the follow-up period, Taiwan had a 17% higher testing rate compared with the United States (ratio = 1.17).
“It is crucial to update current practice patterns of HBV testing in RA patients, both in non-endemic and endemic regions, to facilitate more specific guideline recommendations,” the researchers wrote. – by Will Offit
Disclosure: Lin reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other relevant financial disclosures.