Epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B

The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage in France is 0.68% and that of HBcAb 8.18%. Chronic hepatitis B is more frequent in subjects of low socioeconomic Status and those receiving government health insurance for the needy (CMU). The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B that is HBeAg-positive is now 64.4%. Nearly 60% of these patients were not born in France. Patients with HBeAg-negotive chronic hepatitis B ore more likely to be older mole, and hove cirrhosis; they also hove lower levels of serum transaminase activity and HBV DNA than those with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B.