Qin Zihan, Liu Yizhuo, Liu Yifei, Yang Anqi, Zhang Ruoyi, Zhang Kun, Zhang Shutian
Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100078, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 8;15(1):16141. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-99864-2.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern, and it can potentially affect mental health like depression. Resolved HBV infection, often perceived as a milder form of HBV infection, are often overlooked, and the association between it and depression remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between resolved HBV infection and depression. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2018, including 20,655 adult Americans. Resolved HBV infection was defined as HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) negative and HBV core antibody (HBcAb) positive. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance baseline characteristics. Algorithms such as inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were also applied. Among the participants, 1,551 (7.5%) were reported to have resolved HBV infection. Depression was reported by 1,796 participants (8.7%), with a higher prevalence among those with resolved HBV infection (10.6%) compared to those without HBV infection(8.5%). PSM and IPTW revealed a significantly positive association between resolved HBV infection and depression (PSM: OR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.09-1.79, p = 0.008; IPTW: OR = 1.48, 95%CI 1.26-1.74, p < 0.001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the findings. The results suggest a complex relationship between resolved chronic viral infections and mental health. Based on this finding, it is advisable to conduct psychological monitoring and offer support to individuals who have achieved a functional cure for HBV. Further prospective studies are still needed to reveal the potential mechanism.
乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染是一个全球关注的健康问题，它可能会影响心理健康，如导致抑郁症。既往感染过HBV，通常被视为一种较轻形式的HBV感染，常常被忽视，其与抑郁症之间的关联仍不明确。本研究旨在调查既往感染过HBV与抑郁症之间的关联。利用2005年至2018年美国国家健康与营养检查调查（NHANES）的数据进行了横断面分析，其中包括20655名成年美国人。既往感染过HBV被定义为乙型肝炎表面抗原（HBsAg）阴性且乙型肝炎核心抗体（HBcAb）阳性。使用患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）评分评估抑郁症。进行倾向得分匹配（PSM）以平衡基线特征。还应用了诸如治疗权重逆概率（IPTW）等算法。在参与者中，有1551人（7.5%）报告既往感染过HBV。1796名参与者（8.7%）报告有抑郁症，既往感染过HBV者的患病率（10.6%）高于未感染HBV者（8.5%）。PSM和IPTW显示既往感染过HBV与抑郁症之间存在显著正相关（PSM：比值比[OR]=1.40，95%置信区间[CI]为1.09-1.79，p=0.008；IPTW：OR=1.48，95%CI为1.26-1.74，p<0.001）。亚组分析和敏感性分析支持了研究结果的稳健性。结果表明既往慢性病毒感染与心理健康之间存在复杂关系。基于这一发现，建议对已实现功能性治愈的HBV感染者进行心理监测并提供支持。仍需要进一步的前瞻性研究来揭示潜在机制。
