title: Occult hepatitis B virus infection is not associated with disease progression of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) and the association between OBI and liver disease progression, defined as development of liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), worsening of Child-Pugh class, or mortality in cases of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective cohort study enrolled 174 patients with chronic HCV infection (chronic hepatitis,n= 83; cirrhosis,n= 47; HCC,n= 44), and evaluated disease progression during a mean follow-up of 38.7 mo. OBI was defined as HBV DNA positivity in 2 or more different viral genomic regions by nested polymerase chain reaction using 4 sets of primers in the S, C, P and X open reading frame of the HBV genome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall OBI prevalence in chronic HCV patients at enrollment was 18.4%, with 16.9%, 25.5% and 13.6% in the chronic hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis and HCC groups, respectively (P= 0.845). During follow-up, 52 patients showed disease progression, which was independently associated with aspartate aminotransferase > 40 IU/L, Child-Pugh score and sustained virologic response (SVR), but not with OBI positivity. In 136 patients who were not in the SVR state during the study period, OBI positivity was associated with neither disease progression, nor HCC development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of OBI in chronic HCV patients was 18.4%, and OBI was not associated with disease progression in South Koreans.
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Junhyeon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yejoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Wha
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Joo Yeong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Baeg
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Won Keun
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Sun
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Junhyeon Cho, Yun Suk Choi, Yejoo Jeon, Jung Wha Chung, Joo Yeong Baeg, Won Keun Si, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sook-Hyang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D060085:Coinfection; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
keywords: Disease control; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C virus; Oncogenesis