Article Text
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- HBV
- hepatitis B virus
- CHB
- chronic hepatitis B
- HCC
- hepatocellular carcinoma
- MS
- metabolic syndrome
- TE
- transient elastography
We read with interest the article entitled ‘Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of liver cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B’ by Wong et al in the January 2009 of Gut.1 Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global health problem, affecting more than 350 million people worldwide. It is estimated that approximately one million chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients die of liver-related diseases per annum. Through the launch of an effective hepatitis B vaccination programme for more than two decades, a dramatic decline of HBV infection rate as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence rate has been observed in children of many HBV endemic countries.2 Nevertheless, CHB is still a health threat to adult HBV carriers. Therefore, it is important for …
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Competing interests None.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.