Association between Hepatitis B virus infection and COVID-19: outcomes from clinical analysis and online survey from Beijing, China.

Objective: We aim to investigate whether Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worsens chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection and explore the incidence of long COVID symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Methods: Patients with chronic HBV infection and COVID-19 patients attending the hepatitis clinic or fever clinic were included in the study. Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 and information about long COVID were collected for all patients. For patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, laboratory test results such as HBV-DNA, liver function, and kidney function were collected three months before and after COVID-19.

Results: A total of 940 patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. These patients were divided into two groups: the hepatitis B virus infection group with 189 patients and the non-hepatitis B group with 751 patients. Further matching analysis was conducted, selecting 156 patients from each group. Within the hepatitis B group, patients were further divided into two subgroups based on whether they received antiviral therapy: 90 patients in the antiviral therapy group and 99 patients in the non-antiviral therapy group. Neither group experienced a significant increase in HBV-DNA after COVID-19. There were significant differences between the two groups regarding BMI and symptoms of sore throat, loss of smell, and nasal congestion during COVID-19. The incidence of long COVID symptoms was higher in the hepatitis B group compared to the non-hepatitis B group (64.1% vs. 48.7%, p < 0.001), with the top five symptoms being cough, fatigue, palpitations, insomnia, and memory impairment.

Conclusion: Patients with chronic HBV infection did not show a significant rise in HBV DNA after COVID-19 in this study. They had a lower incidence of COVID-19 symptoms but experienced a higher incidence of long COVID symptoms.