Occult and Overt HBV Co-Infections Independently Predict Postoperative Prognosis in HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The
published study below looked at the relationship between occult HBV
and chronic hepatitis C infection. Occult HBV occurs after someone
resolves HBV infection, but a portion of the HBV genome is still in the
body. A test would report it as negative for HBV infection. Up until
this study little was known about the effect of occult HBV on liver
disease progression in someone with chronic hepatitis C. The study
period used to identify the participants was from 1991 to 2000. The study participants in the
study were followed for a median period of 11 years. The authors
found that having occult HBV and chronic hepatitis C infection lead to a
significantly higher rate of cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. The
authors also reported that a non-response to HCV therapy was "significantly associated with lower survival."
Unfortunately, at this time
there is not a test (other than a liver biopsy) to diagnose occult
HBV. The limitation of the study was that it was conducted in Taiwan—a
region that has a very high rate of HBV. This could potentially affect
the high rate of occult HBV infection identified. Still, if this
study is replicated it could lead to more information that will help the
person with hepatitis C and their medical provider improve the care
and treatment of chronic hepatitis C. One positive outcome of the
study was that achieving a viral cure reduced the harmful effects of
occult HBV on HCV disease progression. This is another important issue
that should be factored into the decision making process. –AF
Labels: disease progression, HCV/HBV coinfection, Liver cancer HCC, Occult HBV