Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in China. Over a decade has passed since the last National Hepatitis Seroepidemiological Survey was conducted in 2006. The lack of updated data on hepatitis B in China makes assessing the current prevalence and burden of the disease inadequate. In response to the above situation, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to provide a better understanding of hepatitis B epidemiology in the general population of China. Methods A systematic search was conducted in international databases (Medline through PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science) and national databases (CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data) to retrieve primary studies published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017. The pooled prevalence of HBV infection and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Quality assessment, heterogeneity testing and publication bias assessment were also performed. Results Of the 27 studies included in the meta-analysis, the pooled estimated prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China from 2013 to 2017 was 6.89% (95% CI:5.84–7.95%), which could be extrapolated to an estimated population of 84 million living with HBsAg in 2018. The prevalence of HBV infection in males was higher than that in females (5.88% vs 5.05%), and rural areas had a higher prevalence than urban areas (5.86% vs 3.29%). The highest prevalence of HBV infection was reported in Western provinces (8.92, 95% CI: 7.19–10.64%). In adults older than 20 years, the prevalence of HBV infection was approximately 7%, which was higher than that in children. Conclusion The prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China was classified as higher intermediate prevalence (5–7.99%), of which more than 90% of the HBV infection population included adults older than 20 years. The blocking of mother-to-infant hepatitis B transmission and plans involving timely birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 h should be implemented. Additionally, improving the quality of life and survival rate of the infected population through antiviral therapy and high-risk adult vaccination will be the priority of our future work. Moreover, various control measures should be implemented in different provinces across China.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among married individuals and to analyze the associated risk factors of HBV infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups in 2006 and 2014. Methods: Information of married individuals aged over 16 y with a clear HBV vaccination status was extracted from the database constructed by the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control from population-based investigation. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect demographic information, vaccinated history, and other related influence information of HBV of participants. Pearson chi-square test, Fisher's test, and logistic regression were used to explore the risk factors of HBV infection.

Background The alcohol consumption pattern, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) prevalence and related risk factors among alcohol drinkers in Beijing haven’t been fully elucidated. Hence, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate potential link among these factors. Methods A two-stage stratified cluster sampling was carried out in Beijing. All participants were 25 years of age or older, possessed with medical insurance, and lived in Beijing for over 6 months. As part for this investigation, participants were asked to answer a questionnaire and undergo physical examination. The questionnaire included demographic information, alcohol intake, and medical history. The physical examination included physical and Fibrotouch tests. Moreover, 10 ml blood sample was collected from each subject to examine liver functions, perform routine blood, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Results Overall, 74,988 residents participated in our study. The proportion of current drinkers among all participants was 46.10%. The differences in gender, region, age group, education, annual household income, and occupation among lifetime abstainers, former drinkers, non-weekly and weekly drinkers were significantly different (P<0.05). The ethanol intake between men and women, people living in urban and rural regions were significantly different (P<0.05). Strong spirits were commonly consumed by men, whereas, beers were commonly consumed by women. Drinking strong spirits generally lead to liver steatosis. In addition, ALD prevalence was 1.30% in participants over 25 years old. The differences in ALD prevalence between men and women, and among different age groups, were significant (P<0.05). Based on our analysis, ALD risk factors in Beijing included: gender (male), age (older than 35 years), high waist circumference, high blood pressure, high BMI, high blood sugar level, and being heavy drinkers. Conclusion Compared with other cities or regions in China, the level of alcohol consumption in Beijing is at an upper middle level. But the ALD prevalence is low likely because ethanol intake is relatively low. Our analysis revealed that heavy drinking is a major risk factor for ALD development. Hence, if alcohol consumption is unavoidable, we caution against heavy drinking.