Clinical course of hepatitis B surface antigen positive subjects following screening: A retrospective observational study from April 2008 to January 2013.
OBJECTIVE
Determination of the percentage of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive participants who undergo screening and treatment may reduce the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This study assessed the percentages of HBsAg positive participants detected by free screening at medical institutions in Saga Prefecture who underwent detailed examinations and antiviral treatment.


METHODS
Participants were screened for HBsAg positivity at medical institutions in Saga Prefecture from April 2008 to January 2013, with some visiting physicians for detailed examinations and applying for reimbursement. Participants in the database of the Health Promotion Division of Saga Prefecture and results of detailed examinations were analyzed retrospectively.


RESULTS
Screening revealed 193 eligible participants, 105 men (54%) and 88 women (46%), of a mean age of 55.5 ± 14.9 years. Of these 193 participants, 147 (76%) visited physicians for detailed examinations, 24 (16%) were regarded as needing treatment and seven (3.6%) were reimbursed for antiviral treatments. The 46 participants who did not undergo detailed examinations were significantly younger than the 147 examined participants (50.9 ± 13.2 vs 56.9 ± 15.2 years, P = 0.018). Of the 110 participants thought to require observation, 68 (62%) were assigned to this group without determination of alanine aminotransferase or hepatitis B virus DNA concentration, and 15 (14%) had indications for antiviral treatment according to the 2014 guidelines of the Japanese Society of Hepatology.


CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of HBsAg positive participants receiving antiviral treatment was lower than that of participants undergoing detailed examinations.
Department of General Medicine, Saga Medical School, Saga, Japan.
Naoko
N
E Furukawa
Department of General Medicine, Saga Medical School, Saga, Japan.
Shu-Ichi
S
Yamashita
Health Promotion Division, Saga Prefectural Government, Saga, Japan.
Keishiro
K
Maeyama
Division of Hepatology, Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Saga, Japan.
Satoshi
S
Oeda
Division of Hepatology, Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Saga, Japan.
Shinji
S
Iwane
Hirai Clinic, Saga, Japan.
Kenji
K
Hirai
Division of Hepatology, Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Saga, Japan.
Iwata
I
Ozaki
Division of Hepatology, Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Saga, Japan.
Yuichiro
Y
Eguchi
hepatitis B surface antigen positive; percentage of antiviral treatment for hepatitis B; percentage of detailed examination for hepatitis B