ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Nationwide studies are mandatory to assess changes in the epidemiology of HBV infection in Europe. AIM: To describe epidemiological characteristics of HBsAg-positive patients, especially inactive carriers, and to evaluate how practitioners manage HBV patients in real life. METHODS: Belgian physicians were asked to report all chronically infected HBV patients during a one-year period. RESULTS: Among 1,456 patients included, 1,035 (71%) were classified into one of four phases of chronic infection: immune tolerance (n = 10), HBeAg-positive hepatitis (n = 248), HBeAg-negative hepatitis (n = 420) and inactive carrier state (n = 357 HBeAg-negative patients with ALT Subject(s)
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis
, Hepatitis B, Chronic/epidemiology
, Adult
, Belgium/epidemiology
, Carrier State
, Female
, Hepatitis B, Chronic/immunology
, Humans
, Immune Tolerance
, Male
