The reduction of the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Cuba can be attributed to the effectiveness of the national immunization program. However, the number of patients with chronic ...HBV observed in clinical practice is not negligible.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the main clinical characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
A total of 146 patients who had at least a 6-month history of hepatitis B surface antigen positivity were recruited between 2013 and 2015. Descriptive statistical analysis of the epidemiologic, clinical, biochemical, and virologic variables was performed.
Men accounted for 67.8% of patients, and the median age was 43 years. The median time since diagnosis of infection was 9 years. Among the patients, 59% had chronic hepatitis, 34% had liver cirrhosis, and 7% were inactive carriers. Concomitant diagnoses demonstrated that 16.4% of patients had malignancies, predominantly lymphoma. Only 64.4% of patients had received antiviral treatment, and lamivudine was the most commonly used (61.6%) drug. Moreover, 70% of patients were identified during an inactive phase.
Patients with chronic HBV infection are still a health problem in the adult Cuban population, especially in patients with concomitant malignancies.
Abstract Background The reduction of the incidence of Hepatitis B virus infection in Cuba can be attributed to the effectiveness of the national immunization program. However, the number of chronic ...hepatitis B patients observed in clinical practice is not negligible. A cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the main clinical characteristics of chronic hepatitis B patients. Material and Methods A total of 146 patients were recruited between 2013 and 2015 who had at least a six month history of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity. Descriptive statistical analysis of the epidemiological, clinical, biochemical and virological variables was performed. Results Males accounted for 67.8% of patients, and the median age was 43 years. The median time of diagnoses of infection was 9 years. Of the patients, 59% had chronic hepatitis, 34% had liver cirrhosis and 7% were inactive carriers. Concomitant diagnoses demonstrated that 16.4% of patients had malignancies, predominantly lymphoma. Only 64.4% of patients had received antiviral treatment, and lamivudine was the most used (61.6%) drug. Moreover, 70% of patients were identified during an inactive phase. Conclusions Patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B are still a health problem in the adult Cuban population, especially in patients with concomitant malignancies.
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