HBV infection in Belgium: results of the BASL observatory of 1,456 HBsAg carriers

INTRODUCTION: Nationwide studies are mandatory to assess changes in the epidemiology of HBV infection in Europe. AIM: To describe epidemiological characteristics of HBsAg-positive patients, especially inactive carriers, and to evaluate how practitioners manage HBV patients in real life. METHODS: Belgian physicians were asked to report all chronically infected HBV patients during a one-year period. RESULTS: Among 1,456 patients included, 1,035 (71%) were classified into one of four phases of chronic infection: immune tolerance (n = 10), HBeAg-positive hepatitis (n = 248), HBeAg-negative hepatitis (n = 420) and inactive carrier state (n = 357 HBeAg-negative patients with ALT CONCLUSION: In Belgium, an inactive carrier state was a common form of chronic HBV infection. Using less restrictive criteria for classification of inactive carriers did not modify their main characteristics and seemed better adapted to clinical practice. Recent guidelines on management of HBV patients should be reinforced.