Association between Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seropositivity and Metabolic Syndrome.
BACKGROUND
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We investigated the relationship between HBV infection and metabolic syndrome.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study of 9,474 Korean men and women who were at least 20 years old and who underwent a routine health check-up at Ulsan University Hospital in Ulsan, South Korea between March 2008 and February 2009. The associations of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity with the presence of metabolic syndrome and its components were investigated by logistic regression analysis. Data were analyzed separately for males and females.


RESULTS
HBsAg seropositivity was significantly negatively associated with hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome in men (odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29 to 0.50; P < 0.001 and OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.98, P = 0.033). In women, HBsAg seropositivity was also significantly negatively associated with hypertriglyceridemia, but not with metabolic syndrome (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.91; P = 0.029 and OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.38 to 1.66, P = 0.545).


CONCLUSIONS
HBV infection was significantly negatively associated with hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome in men and hypertriglyceridemia in women.
Department of Family Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
Tae-Heum
TH
Chung
Department of Family Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
Moon-Chan
MC
Kim
Department of Family Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
Chang-Sup
CS
Kim
Hepatitis B; Metabolic Syndrome; Triglycerides