Reports on COVID-19 from Korea University Provide New Insights (Clinical Effect of Hepatitis B Virus On Covid-19 Infected Patients: a Nationwide Population-based Study Using the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Database): Coronavirus – COVID-19

2022 FEB 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx COVID-19 Daily -- Current study results on Coronavirus - COVID-19 have been published. According to news reporting out of Ansan, South Korea, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Several studies have recently suggested that liver disease and cirrhosis were risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. However, no large data study has reported the clinical course of COVID-19 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Korea University, “This study investigated whether HBV infection had negative impacts on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients. We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study with 19,160 COVID-19-infected patients in 2020 from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. The clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with chronic HBV infections were assessed and compared to those of non-HBV-infected patients. Of the 19,160 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 675 (3.5%) patients had chronic HBV infections. The HBV-infected patients were older and had more commodities than the non-HBV infected COVID-19 patients. During the observation period, COVID-19-related mortality was seen in 1,524 (8.2%) of the non-HBV-infected 18,485 patients, whereas 91 (13.5%) in HBV-infected 675 patients died of COVID-19 infection. Compared to patients without HBV infections, a higher proportion of patients with chronic HBV infections required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and had organ failures. However, odds ratios for mortality, ICU admission, and organ failure were comparable between the two groups after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbid diseases including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. COVID-19-infected patients with HBV infections showed worse clinical courses than non-HBV-infected COVID-19 patients.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “However, after adjustment, chronic HBV infection itself does not seem to affect the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.”

For more information on this research see: Clinical Effect of Hepatitis B Virus On Covid-19 Infected Patients: a Nationwide Population-based Study Using the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Database. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 2022;37(4). Journal of Korean Medical Science can be contacted at: Korean Acad Medical Sciences, 302 75 Dong Du Ichon, Dong Yongsan Ku, Seoul 140 031, South Korea.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Hyung Joon Yim, Korea University, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Ansan Hospital, 123 Jeokgeum Ro, Ansan 15355, South Korea. Additional authors for this research include Jung Wan Choe, Young Kul Jung and Gi Hyeon Seo.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e29. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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