Author information
1 Department of Infectious Disease, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Ji'nan, Shandong, China.
2 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
3 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
Abstract
We read with interest the recent paper by Choi et al(1) on the impact of biopsy-proven NASH on CHB outcomes. The study concluded that compared to patients with CHB alone, CHB patients with concomitant NASH were more likely to have advanced fibrosis (F3/4) and shorter time to liver complications, and that superimposed NASH predicted poorer outcomes in those with advanced fibrosis. However, prior studies have also suggested that CHB patients with co-existing hepatic steatosis may not be at higher risk for disease progression; and in fact, more favorable long-term outcomes were even reported by some.