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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

John H. Choe, MD, MPH¹, Gregory Hislop², Chong Teh², Hoai Tam Le¹, Angeline Low, PhD², Erica Woodall, MPH³, and Vicky Taylor³. (1) Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, 325 Ninth Ave., Box 359780, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-667-7802, johnchoe@u.washington.edu, (2) British Columbia Cancer Agency, Cancer Control Research Program, #2-109, 675 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada, (3) Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N., P.O. Box 19024, M3-B232, Seattle, WA 98109

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection and its sequelae (cirrhosis, liver cancer) disproportionately affect Asian immigrants. The purpose of our study was to review and to describe serologic HBV laboratory test results among Chinese, the largest Asian ethnic population in the US and Canada. METHODS: We conducted population-based surveys focused upon hepatitis B and liver cancer. Participants were Chinese 18-64 years old, from Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, BC. Surveys were collected in-person by multilingual field interviewers from 987 Chinese adults. Survey participants who reported having had HBV serologic testing during the preceding five years were identified; project staff contacted the medical providers for this subset to request confirmatory laboratory HBV serologic test results. RESULTS: We reviewed medical records from 175 survey participants that met our data collection criteria. Records from 117 included HBV serology test results. Of these, 21 (18%) had medical records that were consistent with current chronic HBV infection. Records from 21 (18%) were consistent with individuals who were susceptible to future infections. 50 (43%) individuals had serology that demonstrated immunity to HBV. For 25 (21%), the reviewed results were insufficient to conclude whether the individual was chronically infected or immune. CONCLUSIONS: Our data are consistent with high rates of chronic HBV infection among adults in Chinese communities in North America. To reduce the disproportionate burden of chronic hepatitis B among Asian immigrants, clinicians should consider routine HBV serologic testing for Chinese adult patients and their families, and offer HBV vaccination for those without evidence of immunity.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this presentation, the audience will recognize new information about the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection rates among Chinese in North America. Participants will also learn about the use of medical records to confirm the results of a survey, self-reported hepatitis B screening behavior.

Keywords: Asian and Pacific Islander, Hepatitis B

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered