Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B

Chronic hepatitis B is the commonest cause of liver cancer in Hong Kong, accounting for approximately 80% of new liver cancer cases every year. The commonest source of hepatitis B virus infection is from infected mother at birth. Most patients are asymptomatic. Family members of hepatitis B patients should raise the suspicion and screen for this disease. Some patients may have elevated liver enzymes. The disease can progress silently with increasing liver fibrosis and eventually develops into liver cirrhosis. Patients with high viral burden and active liver inflammation tend to have faster disease progression. Liver cancer tends to develop in patients with liver cirrhosis, but about 10% of liver cancer are found in patients without liver cirrhosis. Treatment by antiviral therapy can reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Antiviral drugs can suppress the replication of the virus but can hardly clear the virus completely. Hence, long-term antiviral treatment is needed. Many new antiviral agents are currently under clinical trial investigation with a goal of curing this infection.