Hepatitis B Virus

In this exclusive video, Nancy S. Reau, MD, section chief of hepatology and associate director of organ transplantation at Rush University Medical Center, discusses the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on hepatology practice.

For patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a positive anti-hepatitis B core antibody was correlated with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

We as rheumatologists are blessed with a surfeit of remarkable therapies and capabilities for controlling disease that we only dreamed about a short generation ago. With these capabilities have come new responsibilities that have — in some ways — stretched our scope of practice. Allow me to discuss just a few examples.

Investigation into the epidemiology of hepatitis D in Cameroon revealed intrahousehold infection and large differences in prevalence between regions, with cases concentrated in forested areas close to the equator, which has been seen in other tropical areas.

The PAGE-B score and a modified PAGE-B score identified which patients on antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B had a low risk for hepatocellular carcinoma development, according to published data.

Diets consisting of higher vegetable fat and polyunsaturated fat intake correlated with a lower risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, including cases in which individuals replaced other animal, dairy, or saturated fats with vegetable and polyunsaturated fats, according to data.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests a high burden of hepatitis B infection among people living with HIV, with discrepancies that vary by region, level of development and the area’s HIV prevalence.

Patients with hepatitis B and C virus infections should be screened for risk before receiving antipsoriatic therapy, according to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.

Hepatitis delta virus has a higher association with health care and cost burden on patients than hepatitis B virus, according to a study by the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine.

Results from the REP 301 and REP 401 studies showed combination therapy with REP2139 and pegylated interferon led to high rates of hepatitis B seroconversion in patients coinfected with hepatitis B and hepatitis D with more than half of treated patients also achieving functional cure of hepatitis D, according to data presented at HEP DART 2019.