Alcohol, Tobacco and Coffee Consumption and Liver Disease Severity among Individuals with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in North America

Abstract Introduction and objectives The prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and coffee use and association with liver health among North Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) infection has not been well described. Materials and methods The Hepatitis B Research Network includes an observational study of untreated CHB adults enrolled at 21 sites in the United States and Canada. Alcohol use was categorized as none, moderate, and at-risk based on the definition from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; tobacco use as never, current and former; coffee use as none, 1–2 cups/day, and ≥3 cups/day. Linear regression and linear mixed models were used to associate lifestyle behaviors with ALT and FIB-4 values. Results 1330 participants met eligibility: 53% males, 71% Asian and the median age was 42 years (IQR: 34–52). Median ALT was 33 U/L (IQR: 22–50), 37% had HBV DNA Conclusions In this large diverse cohort of untreated CHB participants, at-risk alcohol use, current tobacco use and limited coffee consumption did not have an association with high ALT and FIB-4 values. In contrast, significant associations were found between the frequency of these lifestyle behaviors and sociodemographic factors.