Obesity and Mortality among Chinese HBV Carriers

Abstract

OBJECTIVESBoth obesity and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection increase the risk of death. Little information reported the relationship between obesity and the risk of death among HBV carriers in Chinese. We aimed to determine the association between obesity and all‐cause mortality among Chinese HBV carriers.METHODSWe prospectively examined the association between obesity measured by body mass index (BMI) and the risk of death among 20,011 adult HBV carriers in Taiwan. Cox regression analyses were used for this association.RESULTSDuring the follow‐up period, 671 participants died and 79 of them (11.8%) were liver‐related. The lowest risk of all‐cause death in relation to BMI was observed at a BMI of 23.0 to 24.9 (mean BMI=24.0±0.6kg/m2). Both underweight and general obesity were associated with an increased risk of death.CONCLUSIONSBoth underweight and obesity were associated with an increased risk of death. A mean BMI of 24 was observed to relate to the lowest risk for all‐cause death among Chinese HBV carriers.