Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Hepatitis B Viremia After Spontaneous Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance in Hepatitis B Carriers

In 118 previous hepatitis B surface antigen ( HBsAg) carriers, low-level hepatitis B (HBV) viremia persisted at a rate of 15%-20% for >10 years after HBsAg seroclearance. The frequency of HBV viremia was significantly (P = .002) lower in patients with anti-HBsAg seroconversion (6 of 69 [8.7%]) than in those without seroconversion (15 of 49 [30.6%]).