Al Shuaili Halima H, Al Mashikhi Bushra, Al Sinani Ahmed, Al Busafi Said A
Department of Medicine, Armed Forces Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Oman Med J. 2024 Sep 30;39(5):e673. doi: 10.5001/omj.2024.104. eCollection 2024 Sep.
Inactive hepatitis B carriers constitute a considerable proportion of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. Understanding the clinical features of this often overlooked population is essential to inform patient management strategies. Our study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and clinical features of inactive HBV carriers presenting to a tertiary center in Muscat, Oman.
We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study among 375 adult Omani patients with inactive HBV infections presenting to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital between January 2017 and December 2018. Relevant data were collected from electronic patient records. Liver fibrosis status was determined using two-dimensional shear-wave elastography.
A total of 200 patients met the study inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Of these, 53.0% were male, and the mean age was 45.0 ± 9.3 years. Most (77.5%) were aged 32-50 years and were therefore born before 1990, the year of initiation of the national HBV vaccination program. A family history of HBV infection was reported in 29.0%, while 25.0% were obese. Severe fibrosis and cirrhosis were observed in 16.0% and 3.0% of the cohort, respectively.
A large number of inactive Omani HBV carriers were born before the implementation of the national HBV vaccination program in Oman, and just under one-third had a family history of HBV infection. Notably, despite being considered inactive carriers, 19.0% displayed radiological features of severe fibrosis or cirrhosis. Screening for high-risk inactive HBV infection is essential to ensure early management and improved patient outcomes.
无症状乙肝携带者在慢性乙肝病毒（HBV）感染患者中占相当比例。了解这一常被忽视人群的临床特征对于制定患者管理策略至关重要。我们的研究旨在描述在阿曼马斯喀特一家三级中心就诊的无症状HBV携带者的社会人口统计学和临床特征。
我们对2017年1月至2018年12月期间在苏丹卡布斯大学医院就诊的375例成年阿曼无症状HBV感染患者进行了一项回顾性描述性研究。从电子病历中收集相关数据。使用二维剪切波弹性成像确定肝纤维化状态。
共有200例患者符合研究纳入标准并纳入分析。其中，53.0%为男性，平均年龄为45.0±9.3岁。大多数（77.5%）年龄在32 - 50岁之间，因此出生于1990年之前，即国家HBV疫苗接种计划开始的年份。29.0%的患者有HBV感染家族史，25.0%为肥胖患者。分别有16.0%和3.0%的队列患者观察到严重纤维化和肝硬化。
大量阿曼无症状HBV携带者出生于阿曼国家HBV疫苗接种计划实施之前，且近三分之一有HBV感染家族史。值得注意的是，尽管被视为无症状携带者，但19.0%表现出严重纤维化或肝硬化的影像学特征。筛查高危无症状HBV感染对于确保早期管理和改善患者预后至关重要。
