Central Obesity and Advanced Liver Stiffness in Hepatitis B: Result from Golestan Hepatitis B Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus and obesity may both contribute synergistically to liver disease, although relatively few studies have investigated this hypothesis. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the relationship between central obesity and the liver stiffness in the Golestan Hepatitis B cohort study (GHBCS). METHODS: Our study included 304 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients enrolled from GHBCS. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and laboratory tests were performed after a follow-up of 4 years (2012). The hepatitis B viral load was measured at the baseline and follow-up using the real-time PCR method. Waist circumference ≥ 102 cm in men and ≥ 89 cm in women (central obesity) was considered to be abnormal. Advanced liver stiffness (ALS) was defined as LSM ≥ 8 KPa. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-V17. Logistic regression was used to test predictors of advanced liver stiffness (LSM ≥ 8 KPa). Linear regression was used to test the predictive value of variables in ALT (as a continuous variable). P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among these CHB patients, 19 (7.4%) cases with a mean (±SD) age of 49.5 (±6.3) developed ALS after 4 years of follow-up. Multivariate analysis showed a significant predictive role of central obesity and viral load in ALS. CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity is related to the liver stiffness in chronic hepatitis B patients.