Trends in mortality of liver disease due to hepatitis B in China from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both potentially life-threatening acute and chronic liver disease. China has the world's largest burden of hepatitis B and is considered to be a major contributor toward the goal of World Health Organization (WHO) of eliminating hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a global health threat by 2030. This study aimed to analyze data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to determine the trends in mortality of liver disease due to hepatitis B in China between 1990 and 2019 and the gap with the WHO's goal. METHODS: Annual deaths and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) of liver disease due to hepatitis B in China between 1990 and 2019 were collected from GBD 2019. We calculated the percentage changes in deaths and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) of ASMRs of liver disease due to hepatitis B. RESULTS: In China, deaths of total liver disease due to hepatitis B decreased by 29.13% from 229 thousand in 2016 to 162 thousand in 2019, and ASMR decreased by an average of 4.92% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.45–5.39%) per year in this period. For the spectrum of liver disease due to hepatitis B, deaths decreased by 74.83%, 34.71%, and 23.34% for acute hepatitis, cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases, and liver cancer from 1990 to 2019, respectively, and ASMRs of acute hepatitis (EAPC = –7.63; 95% CI: –8.25, –7.00), cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases (EAPC = –4.15; 95% CI: –4.66, –3.65), and liver cancer (EAPC = –5.17; 95% CI: –6.00, –4.33) decreased between 1990 and 2019. The proportions of older adults aged ≥70 years among all deaths of the spectrum of liver disease due to hepatitis B increased from 1990 to 2019. Deaths of liver cancer due to hepatitis B increased by 7.05% from 2015 to 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Although a favorable trend in the mortality of liver disease due to hepatitis B was observed between 1990 and 2019, China still faces challenges in achieving the WHO's goal of eliminating HBV as a public threat by 2030. Therefore, efforts to increase the coverage of diagnosis and treatment of liver disease due to hepatitis B, especially of liver cancer due to hepatitis B, are warranted in China.