Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 21, 2025
Stem Cell-Derived Viral Ag-Specific T Lymphocytes Suppress HBV Replication in Mice
Published on: September 25, 2019
The Lived Experience of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Broader View of Its Impacts and Why We Need a Cure
Thomas Tu1, Joan M Block2, Su Wang3,4
1Storr Liver Centre, Westmead Clinical School and Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
Insights
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) causes significant psychosocial harms, including fear, stigma, and financial instability, impacting diagnosis and treatment. A cure for hepatitis B virus infection is crucial to alleviate these lifelong burdens.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Public Health
- Psychosocial Medicine
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a prevalent, incurable liver disease with severe physical complications like cirrhosis and cancer.
- Societal impacts of CHB are recognized, but often focus narrowly on mortality, morbidity, and economic factors.
- Individuals with CHB often experience lifelong asymptomatic infection, yet face significant, underappreciated psychosocial burdens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the wide-ranging psychosocial harms associated with chronic hepatitis B.
- To emphasize how these psychosocial factors influence patient diagnosis, management, and treatment.
- To highlight the role of the research community in mitigating these impacts and advocate for a cure.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of psychosocial impacts of CHB.
- Analysis of the interplay between psychosocial factors and clinical management.
- Discussion of research community's role and potential solutions.
Main Results:
- Psychosocial harms include fear, anxiety, financial instability, stigma, discrimination, and social rejection.
- These impacts significantly affect patient engagement in diagnosis, management, and treatment of CHB.
- A cure for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is identified as a key factor in alleviating psychosocial burdens.
Conclusions:
- Greater recognition of the full spectrum of CHB impacts, including psychosocial aspects, is essential.
- Addressing psychosocial harms is critical for delivering effective and meaningful results for the global CHB community.
- Research efforts should focus on developing a cure for HBV to mitigate lifelong patient suffering.
Abstract:
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world. It is currently incurable and can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The considerable impacts on society caused by CHB through patient mortality, morbidity, and economic loss are well-recognised in the field. This is, however, a narrow view of the harms, given that people living with CHB can be asymptomatic for the majority of their life-long infection. Of less-appreciated importance are the psychosocial harms, which can continue throughout an affected person's lifetime. Here we review the broad range of these impacts, which include fear and anxiety; financial loss and instability; stigma and discrimination; and rejection by society. Importantly, these directly affect patient diagnosis, management, and treatment. Further, we highlight the roles that the research community can play in taking these factors into account and mitigating them. In particular, the development of a cure for hepatitis B virus infection would alleviate many of the psychosocial impacts of CHB. We conclude that there should be a greater recognition of the full impacts associated with CHB to bring meaningful, effective, and deliverable results to the global community living with hepatitis B.
More Related Videos
10:25"Liver-on-a-Chip" Cultures of Primary Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells for Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Published on: February 19, 2019
11:34A Competent Hepatocyte Model Examining Hepatitis B Virus Entry through Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide as a Therapeutic Target
Published on: May 10, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:24Chronic Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when the immune system becomes active and causes swelling, pain, and disruptions in organ function. Pancreatitis can manifest as either an acute or chronic condition.
Acute pancreatitis arises suddenly and lasts for a brief duration, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term affliction...
01:29Chronic Pancreatitis II: Collaborative Care
Assessment:
01:10Retrovirus Life Cycles
01:22Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
01:26Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow
01:26Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...