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. 2019 May 6;12(1):251.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-019-4287-z.

The prevalence and significance of isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) in endemic population

Chul S Hyun  1 , Seulgi Lee  2 , William R Ventura  3
Affiliations

The prevalence and significance of isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) in endemic population

Chul S Hyun et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: There are three major serologic markers for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg); hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs); and hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc). HBV screening programs, however, often test only HBsAg and anti-HBs, missing those individuals who have anti-HBc as the only detectable marker. Isolated anti-HBc can represent chronic infection in which HBsAg is not detectable by serology. We, therefore, investigated the prevalence of isolated anti-HBc in an ethnic community at moderate to high risk for HBV infection.

Results: Of 7157 Korean American adults in New Jersey, 2736 (38.2%) lacked anti-HBs, potentially susceptible to HBV. Of these 2736 subjects, 771 subjects had anti-HBc. The prevalence of isolated anti-HBc increased with age: 0.8% (age 21-30); 2.4% (age 31-40); 6.05% (age 41-50); 11.7% (age 51-60); 18.3% (age 61-70); and 24.5% (age 71-91). Similarly, the percentage of the individuals with isolated anti-HBc in anti-HBs lacking subjects showed a striking age dependence. We conclude that serologic HBV screening should include anti-HBc to accurately assess the prevalence of HBV exposure. Serologic screening with only HBsAg and anti-HBs may overestimate the prevalence of non-immune population. It can also underestimate the prevalence of HBV and increase the risk of HBV reactivation during immunosuppression.

Keywords: Antiviral prophylaxis; HBV reactivation; Hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc); Hepatitis B screening; Hepatitis B virus (HBV).

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee. This study was formally approved by Investigative Committee on Clinical Research (ICCR), IRB of Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, NJ.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Presence of anti-HBc in different age groups of anti-HBs lacking population. Asterisk: Percentage refers to a proportion of those with isolated anti-HBc in the subjects lacking anti-HBs in the indicated age group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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