Countermeasures against viral hepatitis B and C in Japan: An epidemiological point of view

Abstract

Although the mortality rate due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been gradually decreasing in Japan, approximately 30 000 people died of HCC in 2016. In 2007, the dominant etiology was persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, which accounted for 65% of total HCC deaths, and 15% of cases were due to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In managing chronic HBV and HCV infection, it is critically important to know the exact number of infected individuals in a particular country, which then assists in evaluating medical and financial needs in the foreseeable future. Therefore, from an epidemiological perspective, we estimated the numbers of HBV and HCV carriers in four categories: (i) undiagnosed carriers; (ii) carriers who were already hospitalized as patients or were receiving outpatient medical attention; (iii) diagnosed carriers who had not consulted any medical facility, or had discontinued consultation; and (iv) newly infected carriers. From these estimates we determined the current HBV and HCV burden and then reviewed the existing countermeasures for their prevention and control in Japan. While continuing the surveillance on the dynamics of hepatitis virus infections linked with preventive measures against hepatitis virus infection, it is crucially important to promote appropriate measures for each of the four groups of hepatitis virus carriers in society.

A nationwide cross-sectional survey on hepatitis B and C screening among workers in Japan

“…In Japan, elimination of HBV and HCV infections is regarded as a national priority, and it was estimated that there were approximately 2.1–2.8 million carriers in 2011 based on blood donation and health examination data 4 , 5 . Further, the number of undiagnosed carriers was estimated to be 0.78 million (HBV: 0.48 million, HCV: 0.30 million), and the number of carriers not in care (i.e.…”

Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir combination therapy in old-aged patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

“…Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan 1,2) and results in heavy health-care burden. Interferon (IFN)-based therapy was used to treat HCV infection until 2014.…”

Evaluation of serum proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and some other biochemical markers in chronic viral hepatitis B and C infections

“…Both HBV and HCV can cause chronic liver disease followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, with the majority of deaths from liver cancer attributed to HBV [4]. There has been exploration of the involvement of oxidative stress in inducing liver damage and hepatocarcinogenesis in HBV and HCV [4,6].…”

“…Both HBV and HCV can cause chronic liver disease followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, with the majority of deaths from liver cancer attributed to HBV [4]. There has been exploration of the involvement of oxidative stress in inducing liver damage and hepatocarcinogenesis in HBV and HCV [4,6]. Cytokines have been reported to have a major role in regulating inflammation, tissue repair, and even control and cure of viral hepatitis [14,25,26].…”