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Chronic Hepatitis B in US Veterans

  • Hepatitis B (JK Lim, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Hepatology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review summarizes recent data on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemiology, issues in special populations undergoing immunosuppressive and hepatitis C virus (HCV) direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, and describes care delivery, adherence to guideline-recommended care, and barriers to access to care and high-quality care for chronic HBV.

Recent Findings

Chronic HBV is present in up to 1% of veterans and is more than in the general US population. HBV is associated with more advanced liver disease in HCV, HIV, and delta hepatitis co-infection. Recent data on HBV reactivation show a substantial risk of reactivation with anti-CD20 antibodies, no documented cases of reactivation with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy, and a low risk of reactivation with HCV DAA therapy. Adherence to guideline-recommended care for HBV is suboptimal for many quality indicators.

Summary

Important studies in HBV epidemiology, long-term outcomes, and care delivery practices have been conducted in the VA. Future studies should prospectively investigate how to improve guideline-recommended care for HBV.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Spruce St, 2 Dulles, Philadelphia, PA, 19014, USA

    Patrik Garren & Marina Serper

  2. Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Marina Serper

  3. Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Marina Serper

Authors
  1. Patrik Garren
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  2. Marina Serper
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Correspondence to Marina Serper.

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Conflict of Interest

Patrik Garren declares no potential conflicts of interest. Marina Serper reports consulting fees from BioVie, Inc. outside the submitted work.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Hepatitis B

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Garren, P., Serper, M. Chronic Hepatitis B in US Veterans. Curr Hepatology Rep 18, 310–315 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-019-00479-9

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