Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection（OBI） in Subjects With Chronic Hepatitis B（CHB） Family History

Mother to Child transmission is the main route of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in China, attributing to over 50% HBV infection. Familial aggregation in HBV infection is well recognized with underlying stipulations like mother-to-child transmission（MTCT）, susceptible genes, close contact and other factors. Not surprisingly, a large proportion of hepatitis B virus infected population in China have a family history of hepatitis B virus infection. In clinical practice those family members usually undergo merely hepatitis B virus serology tests without HBV DNA test, which ruled out false HBsAg (-) or Occult HBV Infection (OBI) from Screening and linkage to care (SLTC). Unfortunately, the missed-out OBI in CHB family members was of a greater prevalence compared to those from general population (8.0% vs. 2.6%) . Moreover, OBI has been well recognized as strong risk factor in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） development with significant HBV DNA integration into host genome . In light of the latest 2019 China CHB guidelines, treatment criteria covered subjects with family history of CHB related cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Therefore, subjects of HBsAg (+) with normal alanine aminotransferase（ALT） or OBI are eligible for further consideration of HBV anti-viral treatment. This study proposed will explore the prevalence of OBI in subjects with family history of HBV related cirrhosis or HCC. The screened HBsAg (+) with normal alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and OBI subjects would be linked to anti-viral therapies.