Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects an estimated 370 million people worldwide. HBV is endemic throughout the world, and insidiously causes liver damage over years and decades without any warning symptoms or signs. Up to 25-35% of infected individuals eventually die due to complications of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced by HBV. Screening those individuals at risk of acquiring hepatitis B, and universal vaccination for prevention, would help in limiting the spread and public health repercussions of the virus. Although many new antiviral therapies have been developed for the management of hepatitis B, they still do not offer the possibility of cure. Most individuals who begin oral suppressive therapy will be indefinitely treated. Continuous suppression of HBV replication in individuals with advanced liver disease prolongs life, decreases the need for liver transplantation, and potentially reduces the risk for HCC. In this clinical review, we present a practical approach to prevention of HBV, its natural history and life cycle, as well as its management.
Keywords: Antiviral treatment; diagnosis; hepatitis B; prevention.