Chronic hepatitis B is long-standing infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), a DNA-based virus in the Hepadnaviridae family that affects the liver. Infection lasting longer than six months is usually considered chronic.[1][2]
Disease overview
Chronic hepatitis B
慢性乙型肝炎
Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Chronic hepatitis B is the long-standing form of hepatitis B virus infection, generally defined as infection persisting for more than six months. It is an important cause of chronic liver disease and is associated with progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.[1][2] The probability of chronic infection is strongly influenced by age at acquisition.[1]
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6
Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms. Nevertheless, chronic infection can progressively lead to cirrhosis, and both cirrhosis and HBV infection are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma; approximately 25% of people with chronic HBV eventually develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.[1][2]
The likelihood of chronic hepatitis B is substantially higher when infection occurs at a younger age: about 90% of those infected during or shortly after birth develop chronic infection, compared with less than 10% of those infected after age five.[1] More than 95% of adults or older children recover, whereas clearance falls to 30% among younger children and 5% among newborns infected at birth.[1]
Hepatitis B is transmitted through exposure to infectious blood or body fluids. Where the disease is common, transmission around the time of birth or through childhood contact with another person's blood is frequent; where it is rare, intravenous drug use and sexual intercourse are prominent routes.[1] Listed risk settings and exposures include healthcare work, blood transfusion, dialysis, living with an infected person, travel to countries with high infection rates, and group living situations.[1]
Current guidance organizes chronic hepatitis B prevention around preventing mother-to-infant and horizontal transmission. A structured guideline has also addressed surveillance for liver cancer in specified groups with chronic infection, including people with selected viral coinfections or after loss of hepatitis B surface antigen.[3]
- 1Wikipedia contributors. Hepatitis B - Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikipedia. cited 4 Sept 2026.Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_B
- 2Rizzo GEM et al. Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Viruses. 2022 May 7. PMID: 35632728. doi: 10.3390/v14050986.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35632728/
- 3Ghany MG et al. AASLD ISDA Practice Guideline on treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Hepatology. 2026 Apr 1. PMID: 41186418. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000001549.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41186418/
- B18.0-B18.1
- 1E51.0
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Research Radar
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Showing 5 of 7 related publications.
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes5
Public Health Ontario IDTO Monthly
Ontario, Canada
Ontario-level current-year preliminary monthly case counts from Public Health Ontario's IDTO report.
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register
Finland
Finland THL Infectious Diseases Register national monthly case counts. The current month is ingested as provisional and the latest three months are refreshed for source revisions.
Norway FHI MSIS Statistics Bank
Norway
Norway FHI MSIS national monthly notifications from the official Allvis frontend API; adapter contract checks guard the unversioned endpoint.
US CDC NNDSS
United States
CDC National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System provisional data.
US CDC NHSS HIV
United States
CDC NNDSS weekly data plus NHSS annual national HIV diagnoses