Effect of hepatic steatosis on the progression of chronic hepatitis B: A prospective cohort and study.

AIM

To characterize the effect of hepatic steatosis (HS) on the progression of chronic hepatitis B.

METHODS

A total of 162 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients confirmed by liver biopsy were involved in this study. All subjects were prospectively followed-up for 5 years in real-life clinical practice. Fibrosis stage was determined using aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI). The end-point was cirrhosis, liver cancer or death. The effects of steatosis on the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were investigated using oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in HepG, HLE, PLC, and SMMC-7721 cells.

RESULTS

Mean age, body mass index, and serum cholesterol were significantly higher in CHB patients with HS than those without HS at baseline (< 0.05). The APRI was lower in patients without HS at baseline (<0.05). Compared to patients with HS, APRI of patients without HS decreased significantly during the follow-up period (<0.05). The 5-year cumulative incidence of cirrhosis were 4.17% and 5.19% in patients without and with HS, respectively (>0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that older (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.996-1.149, = 0.065) and S3 stage of liver fibrosis (RR 3.50, 95% CI 0.812-15.117, =0.093) were risk factors for the progression to cirrhosis. , cell steatosis promoted proliferation and migration of HCC cells and conferred cell cycle at S phase.

CONCLUSION

The older and S3 stage of fibrosis may be risk factors for progression to cirrhosis in CHB patients with HS. HS may aggravate liver disease, promoting HCC progression.