Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Exposure Among Foreign-Born Asian Americans in the US

This study reports hepatitis B serologic test results among foreign-born Asian Americans. In 2013 - 2014, a sample of foreign-born Asian American adults, (>= 18 years of age) were drawn from community-based organizations in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Hepatitis B screening tests were administered, including tests for HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc. Among total of 600 people who completed screening, 33 (5.5%) tested positive for HBsAg, indicating chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. About 44% (n = 263) tested positive for anti-HBc, indicating a previous exposure to HBV. Asian Americans from Vietnam (53.2%) had the highest exposure to HBV, followed by Asian Americans from Korea (43.4%) and China (34.8%) (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, gender, age, education, and family history of HBV infection were associated with previous exposure to HBV infection. The prevalence of anti-HBc (44%) in our study group was much higher than that of a nationally representative sample in the NHANES study (6%), indicating that there is higher incidence of HBV in foreign-born Asian Americans than the general U.S. population.