Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42059159›Full record

ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2026

Resolved HBV Infection Is Not Associated With Liver-Related Outcomes in Survival Analysis of Caucasians After HCV Cure.

Laura Muana Wilhelm, Albrecht Stoehr, Peter Buggisch, Christine John, Ralph Link, Hartwig Klinker, Uta Merle, Markus Cornberg, Christoph Sarrazin, Thomas Berg and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Resolved HBV Infection Is Not Associated With Liver-Related Outcomes in Survival Analysis of Caucasians After HCV Cure.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Laura Muana WilhelmDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0009-0006-7142-8276
Albrecht StoehrIfi-Institute for Interdisciplinary Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Peter BuggischIfi-Institute for Interdisciplinary Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Christine JohnCenter of Gastroenterology, Berlin, Germany.
Ralph LinkMVZ-Offenburg GmbH/St. Josefs-Klinik, Offenburg, Germany.
Hartwig KlinkerDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Würzburg Medical Center, Würzburg, Germany.
Uta MerleDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Markus CornbergDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9141-8001
Christoph SarrazinSt. Josefs-Hospital, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Thomas BergDivision of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
Heiner WedemeyerDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2906-0480

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevious exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) may influence the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other liver-related events (LRE), in particular in patients after HCV cure. Previous studies were not conclusive and there are only few large studies on this topic from Europe.

methodsWe analysed clinical endpoints (≥ 3-point increase in MELD score, oesophageal variceal bleeding, ascites, encephalopathy, liver transplantation, death, with/without HCC; HCC alone) in patients cured from HCV. Data were obtained from the German Hepatitis C Registry. Patients after organ transplantation, a history of HCC, HIV co-infection, or HBsAg positivity were excluded. A subanalysis was conducted in patients with cirrhosis. Statistical analyses included logistic regression to identify predictors of clinical endpoints and Kaplan-Meier curves to analyse the influence of HBV serological markers.

resultsA cohort of 6198 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria, the median time of follow-up was 2.5 years (range 0.04-8.01). Serological evidence of previous HBV exposure was present in 1889 patients (anti-HBc positive). In patients with cirrhosis, univariate analyses identified anti-HBc positivity (odds ratio [OR], 1.48), cirrhosis (OR, 4.89), features of portal hypertension (ascites (OR, 5.66), oesophageal varices (OR, 4.88)), diabetes (OR, 3.23), and malignancies (OR, 10.34) as risk factors for composite LRE. In multivariable analysis, anti-HBc positivity (OR, 1.53) and cirrhosis (OR, 4.63) remained independent risk factors for the composite endpoints, whereas anti-HBc positivity was not associated with HCC or Kaplan-Meier survival analyses.

conclusionsResolved HBV infection was not associated with the development of HCC or survival in Caucasians after HCV cure. Although anti-HBc positivity was linked to composite outcomes, its clinical relevance appears limited.

trial registrationThe registry was registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS; IDDRKS00009717).

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularHepatitis BHepatitis CHepatitis C, ChronicLiver CirrhosisLiver NeoplasmsAdultAgedFemaleGermanyHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedRegistriesanti‐HBc positivityhepatitis C virus curehepatocellular carcinomaliver‐related eventsresolved hepatitis B virus infection

Identifiers

PMID42059159
PMCPMC13130161

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.