Chronic hepatitis B in Italy: new features of an old disease--approaching the universal prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen-negative cases and the eradication of hepatitis D infection.

Sagnelli, Evangelista; Stroffolini, Tommaso; Mele, Alfonso; Imparato, Michele; Almasio, Piero L; Italian Hospitals' Collaborating Group · Clin Infect Dis · 2008

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

We evaluated 1336 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive subjects consecutively observed in 79 Italian hospitals over a 6-month period. The proportion of hepatitis B e antigen-negative cases was 86.4%, that of patients coinfected with hepatitis D virus was 9.7%, and the rate of patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus was 16.8%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age >49 years, alcohol abuse, and anti-hepatitis D virus and anti-hepatitis C virus positivity were independent predictors of progression to liver cirrhosis.

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