The analysis utilized data from the 2005–2006 and 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey datasets. To examine the relationship between serum VA levels and the presence of serological hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis C virus RNA (HCV-RNA) positivity, researchers employed multiple linear regression and logistic regression. The study cohort comprised 5,351 participants HBsAg-related responders and 242 HCV-RNA–related responders, including 52 HBsAg (+) and 104 HCV-RNA (+) responders.
The results revealed that compared with HBsAg (–) and HCV-RNA (–) respondents, HBsAg (+) and HCV-RNA (+) respondents were inclined to have lower serum VA levels, respectively (1.63 [1.33 ~ 2.01] vs. 1.92 [1.57 ~ 2.34], P <.001; 1.54 [1.25 ~ 1.83] vs. 1.78 [1.46 ~ 2.26], P <.001). Moreover, a more significant percentage of responders in the subclinical VA deficiency (SVAD) group were HBsAg (+) and HCV-RNA (+) compared with those in the normal VA (VAN) group (2.4% [9/374] vs. 0.9% [43/4977], P = .003; 61.5% [16/26] vs. 40.7% [88/215], P = .043).
The authors wrote, “According to the results of the multiple regression analyses of the different models, the serum VA concentration was negatively correlated with HBsAg (+) and HCV-RNA (+) status (β = –0.14, 95% CI = –0.30 to –0.01, P = 0.066; β = –0.29, 95% CI = –0.50 ~ –0.09, P = 0.005, respectively). Compared to those with SVAD, patients with VAN were less likely to be serologically HBsAg (+) or HCV-RNA (+) (OR [odds ratio] = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.25 ~ 1.10, P = 0.089; OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.18 ~ 0.84, P = 0.016, respectively).”
The authors indicated that the findings from this study revealed that patients with hepatitis viral infections had low levels of VA, the rate of viral infection was elevated in patients with SVAD, and that the serum VA concentration was inversely linked with seropositivity for hepatitis B and C viruses. Additionally, the findings imply that clinicians should focus on serologic VA levels in patients with hepatitis B or C viral infections and prompt and judicious supplementation may be twice as effective as conventional treatment.
Finally, the authors added, “These findings suggest that the relationship between hepatitis viruses and vitamin A needs to be validated by more basic studies and clinical large-sample randomized controlled trials to provide ideas for new therapeutic targets.”
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