title: High prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and inferior vena cava obstruction among patients with liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma in Nepal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and the genotype distribution among patients with liver diseases in Nepal, where obstruction of the hepatic portion of the inferior vena cava (IVCO) is common. The aim of the present paper was to assess the roles of HBV infection and IVCO in liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Nepal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 121 patients (89 male, 32 female; age, 55.0 +/- 13.6 years) with or without IVCO consisting of 70 LC patients and 51 HCC patients in Nepal, were tested for HBV-DNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HBV-DNA was detected in 68 patients (56%) including 20 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative patients: 33 LC patients (47%) and 35 HCC patients (69%) had detectable HBV-DNA (P = 0.0303). Among the 89 patients with IVCO, HBV-DNA was detected in HCC patients significantly more frequently than in LC patients (80%vs 43%, P = 0.0005). The frequency of HBV viremia was significantly higher among HCC patients with IVCO than those without (80%vs 44%, P = 0.0236), and that of HBV viremia with IVCO was significantly higher among HCC patients than among LC patients (55%vs 27%, P = 0.0153). The HBV genotypes A and D were predominant, and genotype A was significantly more frequent among HCC patients than among LC patients (22%vs 6%, P = 0.0090). Among HCC patients, those with genotype A HBV were significantly younger than those with genotype D (43 +/- 13 vs 57 +/- 12 years, P = 0.0252).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatitis B virus alone (especially genotype A) or in concert with IVCO may be responsible for development of HCC in Nepal.
authors.affiliation: Liver Foundation Nepal, Sitapaela Height, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Santosh Man
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Shobhana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Ananta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D001483:Base Sequence; D006502:Budd-Chiari Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior