Hepatitis B Core Antibody: Role in Clinical Practice in 2020

Purpose of Review It is crucial for clinicians to understand the need to screen for hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc status), proper interpretation of HBV biomarkers, and that “anti-HBc only” indicates HBV exposure, lifelong persistence of cccDNA with incomplete infection control, and potential ri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current hepatology reports 2020-09, Vol.19 (3), p.254-265
Main Authors: Gish, Robert G., Basit, Syed Abdul, Ryan, John, Dawood, Altaf, Protzer, Ulrike
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Hepatitis B (JK Lim
Hepatology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Section Editor
Topical Collection on Hepatitis B
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Summary:Purpose of Review It is crucial for clinicians to understand the need to screen for hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc status), proper interpretation of HBV biomarkers, and that “anti-HBc only” indicates HBV exposure, lifelong persistence of cccDNA with incomplete infection control, and potential risk for reactivation. Findings Many common misconceptions exist, including that tests for anti-HBc have high false-positive rates, that patients with anti-HBc alone or occult hepatitis B may profit from “vaccine boosting” to achieve immune control of HBV, and that anti-HBc(+)/anti-HBs(+) patients have cleared HBV when they have actually achieved immune control, while HBV persists in some hepatocytes and can reactivate. Summary This review breaks down several common misconceptions regarding anti-HBc with the most recent evidence. In addition, current best strategies for anti-HBc testing and interpretation are reviewed and summarized.
ISSN:2195-9595
2195-9595
DOI:10.1007/s11901-020-00522-0