Infection phase is a predictor of pruritus in patients with hepatitis B virus infection

Pruritus is a common pathogenesis in liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The phases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are defined in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines. However, it still remains unclear whether the phase independently affects pruritus. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of HBV infection phase on pruritus in patients with HBV. Of the 1,631 patients that attended the joint research facilities and were interviewed regarding their pruritus between January and June 2016, 196 patients with HBV infection were selected for the present analysis. One-to-one propensity score-matching using 13 variables was performed between participants in the hepatitis B e antigen (HBe-Ag)-positive/negative immune-active phase group and the inactive CHB phase group. Data from 47 patients per group were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of pruritus in the inactive CHB phase was significantly lower than in the HBe-Ag-positive/negative immune-active phase (23 vs. 47%; P=0.031). Being in the inactive CHB phase was determined to be an independent risk factor for pruritus (odds ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.143-0.842; P=0.019). The progression to inactive CHB phase may contribute to the amelioration of pruritus in patients with HBV infection.