Author information
- 1Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Abstract
Background & aims: In the United States, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis and is a major cause of liver cancer. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of past and present HBV infection, susceptibility to HBV infection, and vaccine-induced immunity to hepatitis B among the US population during 2013-2018.
Methods: Prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed by using 2013-2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Serologic testing among noninstitutionalized persons aged ≥6 years was used for classifying persons as total hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), indicative of current or previous (ever having had) HBV infection; hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), indicative of current HBV infection; and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), indicative of immunity attributable to hepatitis B vaccination. Persons who tested negative for anti-HBc, HBsAg, and anti-HBs were considered susceptible to HBV infection.
Results: Non-US-born residents accounted for 69.1% of the population with chronic HBV infection and were 9.1 times more likely to be living with chronic hepatitis B, compared with US-born persons. Among adults aged ≥25 years who resided in US households, an estimated 155.8 million persons (or 73.4%) were susceptible to HBV infection, and an estimated 45.4 million had vaccine-induced immunity to hepatitis B. Men who have sex with men (MSM) were 3.6 times more likely to have ever been infected with HBV; however, MSM were just as likely to have vaccine-induced immunity to hepatitis B as non-MSM.
Conclusion: Despite increasing immune protection among young persons vaccinated after birth, the estimated prevalence of persons living with chronic hepatitis B in the United States has remained unchanged at 0.3% since 1999.