Hepatitis B cirrhosis declines in China, but alcohol-related cirrhosis climbs

An article in the Chinese Medical Journal that compares the causes of cirrhosis today vs. 18 years ago in Beijing provides an interesting snapshot of social change and the power of immunization in China. The study of 2,119 Beijingers (one-third female) found that hepatitis B-related liver scarring has declined from 75.2% to 48.7%, but alcoholic liver disease increased from 5.1% to 10.6%. Among women, cirrhosis related to hepatitis C and auto-immune liver disease have increased.

—Christine. M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate

Source http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23823813
"Etiological features of cirrhosis ...", by Song,  Feng, Rao et al. Chinese Medical Journal.  2013 Jul;126(13):2430-4.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
The etiological spectrum of cirrhosis has changed over the years, but our knowledge of it is limited. The present study aimed to investigate the etiological features of cirrhosis inpatients and their variation in the past 18 years in Beijing.

METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients with cirrhosis diagnosed for the first time in Peking University People's Hospital from January 1, 1993, to October 25, 2010. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0.

RESULTS:
A total of 2119 cirrhosis inpatients were included in this study: 1412 (66.6%) male and 707 (33.4%) female. Chronic hepatitis B accounted for 58.7%; chronic hepatitis C for 7.6%; chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus co-infection for 0.8% (16 cases); alcoholic liver disease for 9.4% (200 cases); and autoimmune diseases for 9.4% (199 cases). In the past 18 years, the percentage of chronic hepatitis B has decreased from 75.2% to 48.7%; alcoholic liver disease has increased from 5.1% to 10.6%; and autoimmune disease has increased from 2.2% to 12.9%. The percentages of chronic hepatitis B and alcoholic liver disease were higher among men, whereas the percentages of chronic hepatitis C, autoimmune diseases and cryptogenic cirrhosis were higher among women.

CONCLUSIONS:
Chronic hepatitis B was still the most common etiology of cirrhosis in China, but the percentage has been decreasing. The percentages of alcoholic liver disease and autoimmune diseases have been increasing. The etiological spectrum of cirrhosis inpatients differed significantly according to sex.

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