Impact of potent nucleos(t)ide therapy on hepatitis B hospitalisations in Spain

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer worldwide. Newborn HBV vaccination was implemented in Spain two decades ago, and potent oral antivirals entecavir and tenofovir were introduced around 2007.

To assess the clinical benefits of these interventions nationwide.

Including HBV as a diagnosis, we performed a retrospective study of all hospitalisations in Spain the Spanish National Registry of Hospital Discharges. Information was retrieved from 1997 to 2017.

From 73,939,642 nationwide hospital admissions during the study period, 129,634 (0.17%) included HBV as diagnosis. Their number doubled from 2007 to 2017 and the median age increased from 44 to 58 years. Most HBV admissions recorded chronic hepatitis B. In-hospital death occurred in 6.4%. Co-infection with HIV or hepatitis C virus occurred in 11.9% and 23.3%, respectively. Patients with HIV-HBV co-infection had significantly greater mortality than individuals with HBV mono-infection. The rate of HBV hospitalisations significantly increased over time with a transient drop around 2007, coincident with the arrival of new potent oral antivirals. Although the proportion of HBV hepatic decompensation events has declined, the rate of liver cancer continues to rise. The small subset of patients with hepatitis delta superinfection increasingly and disproportionately accounts for hepatic decompensation events and liver cancer.

Hospital admissions of individuals with HBV infection are increasing in Spain. While hepatic decompensation events declined following the introduction of potent oral nucleos(t)ide therapy, HBV-related liver cancer is rising. No benefit of oral antiviral therapies is seen on hepatitis delta.