Management of chronic hepatitis B virus

The management of chronic hepatitis B is complex due to its four disease stages. Monitoring is often required to inform future management; not all patients will require interventions. The long-term goals of treatment are to halt disease progression and to prevent cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. A number of guidelines are available, including those issued by the European Association for the Study of Liver Disease and recently published National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines. This article, the second in a two-part series, discusses the assessment and management of chronic hepatitis B in light of recent guidelines and the role of nurses in caring for patients with CHB. Part 1 looked at the prevalence and pathophysiology of chronic hepatitis B, recommendations for screening high-risk groups and immunisation.