Influence of universal HBV vaccination on chronic HBV infection in Italy: Results of a cross-sectional multicenter study

Background and Aim The universal hepatitis B vaccination for infants and 12-year-old adolescents (the latter limited to the first 12 years of application) was launched in Italy in 1991. Twenty-three years later we evaluated the impact of the vaccination campaign on the burden of HBsAg-positive chronic liver diseases (CLD). Material and Methods 513 HBsAg-positive chronic carriers referring to 16 Italian liver units were investigated and compared with HBsAg carriers enrolled in previous surveys. Results The proportion of inactive carriers decreased from 20.0% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2014, while that of cirrhotic patients increased from 22.6 to 33.2%. Regarding the age class 0–33 (fully covered by …