The contribution of viral hepatitis to the burden of chronic liver disease in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
Chronic liver disease (CLD) is increasingly recognized as a major public health problem. However, in the United States, there are few nationally representative data on the contribution of viral hepatitis as an etiology of CLD.


METHODS
We applied a previously used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification-based definition of CLD cases to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey databases for 2006-2010. We estimated the mean number of CLD visits per year, prevalence ratio of visits by patient characteristics, and the percentage of CLD visits attributed to viral hepatitis and other selected etiologies.


RESULTS
An estimated 6.0 billion ambulatory care visits occurred in the United States from 2006 to 2010, of which an estimated 25.8 million (0.43%) were CLD-related. Among adults aged 45-64 years, Medicaid and Medicare recipients were 3.9 (prevalence ratio (PR)=3.9, 95% confidence limit (CL; 2.8, 5.4)) and 2.3 (PR=2.3, 95% CL (1.6, 3.4)) times more likely to have a CLD-related ambulatory visit than those with private insurance, respectively. In the United States, from 2006 to 2010, an estimated 49.6% of all CLD-related ambulatory visits were attributed solely to viral hepatitis B and C diagnoses.


CONCLUSIONS
In this unique application of health-care utilization data, we confirm that viral hepatitis is an important etiology of CLD in the United States, with hepatitis B and C contributing approximately one-half of the CLD burden. CLD ambulatory visits in the United States disproportionately occur among adults, aged 45-64 years, who are primarily minorities, men, and Medicare or Medicaid recipients.
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Henry W
HW
Roberts
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Ovie A
OA
Utuama
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Monina
M
Klevens
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Eyasu
E
Teshale
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Elizabeth
E
Hughes
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Ruth
R
Jiles
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology