Hepatitis refers to the inflammation of the liver caused by a group of unrelated viruses of six major subtypes, A, B, C, D, E, and G. About 50 million new cases of Hepatitis B are diagnosed annually. Hepatitis B caused 600,000 deaths worldwide in 1997. It is estimated that 350 million people worldwide are chronic carriers and 75% of them are found in Asia. The prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B infection is high (>8%) in all socioeconomic groups in certain areas including China, Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines (Source: CDC; see Table). Various studies estimate that 15-25% of people with chronic Hepatitis B and C will die of cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer over the next 20 to 30 years.
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| Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a blood-borne pathogen belonging to the hepadnavirus family. The DNA genome of HBV is about 3,200 bp in size, carrying the genes encoding the nucleocapsid, surface, X, and polymerase proteins. Although HBV infection can cause serious liver disease and is the major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide, risk of adverse outcomes varies substantially between different groups of HBV carriers. Some HBV carriers remain essentially healthy even after many decades of infection. |
