Social-environmental, Psychosocial, Behavioral, Clinical and Biological Drivers of Disparities in Liver Disease Progression Among Korean American With Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To estimate the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) phenotype and liver disease severity at enrollment visit, and model how multiple social-environmental, psychosocial, behavioral, clinical and biological attributes are associated with variation in CHB phenotype and disease severity.

II. To identify how these same attributes are associated with disease progression over time.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To examine the moderating effects of these multi-level factors on the relationship between liver disease progression and adverse liver disease outcome (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]), as well as mediating effects of liver disease progression on the relationship between psychosocial factors and liver cancer or death.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. Using an explanatory mixed methods approach, to understand the care-seeking behaviors, and dynamics of care, within an ethnically concordant liver disease care model, and how these factors may have both direct and mediational effects on adherence, treatment effectiveness, and adverse disease outcomes.

OUTLINE:

Patients participate in interviews over 20-40 minutes and undergo collection of hair samples at baseline and 18-24 months. Patients' medical records are also reviewed.

Inclusion criteria

• Provide signed and dated informed consent form
• Willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study
• Korean-American male or female, age over 18 and older
• CHB Patients who have lab and medical record data (including hepatitis B virus [HBV] deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA] viral load, hepatitis B virus e Antigen [HBeAg] status, and liver enzyme values) exist from 2015 or before

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who have received a diagnosis of HCC, although they may have been diagnosed with cirrhosis
• Patients who have been diagnosed with other viral infections (hepatitis C virus [HCV], human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], etc.)
• Patients who have total baldness