The Lived Experience of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Broader View of Its Impacts and Why We Need a Cure

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world. It is currently incurable and can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The considerable impacts on society caused by CHB through patient mortality, morbidity, and economic loss are well-recognised in the field. This is, however, a narrow view of the harms, given that people living with CHB can be asymptomatic for the majority of their life-long infection. Of less-appreciated importance are the psychosocial harms, which can continue throughout an affected person’s lifetime. Here we review the broad range of these impacts, which include fear and anxiety; financial loss and instability; stigma and discrimination; and rejection by society. Importantly, these directly affect patient diagnosis, management, and treatment. Further, we highlight the roles that the research community can play in taking these factors into account and mitigating them. In particular, the development of a cure for hepatitis B virus infection would alleviate many of the psychosocial impacts of CHB. We conclude that there should be a greater recognition of the full impacts associated with CHB to bring meaningful, effective, and deliverable results to the global community living with hepatitis B.

De novo synthesis of hepatitis B virus nucleocapsids is dispensable for the maintenance and transcriptional regulation of cccDNA

“…Together, ~884 000 deaths each year are directly attributable to chronic HBV infection [1,2]. In addition to these medical harms to physical health, people living with chronic HBV infection face considerable community stigma and discrimination due to its highly infectious and incurable nature [3]. Most chronic HBV infections are established after neonatal exposure during birth.…”

Needs of Individuals Living With Hepatitis Delta Virus and Their Caregivers, 2016–2019

“…Another notable commonality between this study’s findings and those of others is the lack of disease knowledge and lack of knowledge of treatment and screening options for viral hepatitis ( 27 , 29 , 31 ). People who sent queries about HDV had little knowledge of HDV but showed interest in furthering their knowledge, especially with regard to treatments and clinical trial research.…”

“…These findings indicate the need for improved efforts to educate people who are diagnosed with HDV about their disease with the goal of increasing patient and caregiver knowledge. More knowledge about the disease among people living with HBV increases patient acceptance of disease and self-efficacy in disease management ( 29 ), which, based on our findings, could also be the case for those living with HDV. Future research should explore the relationship between HDV disease knowledge and patient self-efficacy in disease management.…”

Adequate Knowledge and Low Vaccination Rates of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Students, Medical, and Paramedical Persons in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

“…Although most HBV infections are self-limiting, and the infection is naturally eliminated even without the treatment, some infected people may harbor the virus for an exceptionally long period with/without acute intermittent symptomatic episodes [3]. Chronic HBV infections may result in liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and, in rare cases, liver cancer [4].…”