[Qidong Chronic Hepatitis B Cohort: participants enrollment and comparison of baseline characteristics by gender stratification]

Abstract

Objective: To establish a study cohort of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Qidong and evaluate its baseline characteristics. Methods: CHB outpatients of the Third People's Hospital of Qidong were invited to participate in baseline survey from January 1, 2016, including questionnaire survey, liver function detection, serum detection of HBV infection and upper abdomen ultrasound detection. Anticipated sample size was at least one thousand. Baseline data were inputted by EpiData 3.1 software and then cleaned and analyzed by SAS 9.3 software. Results: As of 18 July, 2016, a total of 1 006 participants had been enrolled into the current study, including 615 males with an average age of (44.26±9.97) years and 391 females with an average age of (46.66±11.17) years. The difference in family history of liver disease was not significant between males and females (P>0.05), while the differences in other key information, such as age, education level, tobacco consumption, alcohol drinking, tea consumption, and antiviral intervention, were significant between males and females (P<0.05). Among the key clinical parameters, such as ALT, HBeAg, HBsAg, HBV DNA, albumin, and width of splenic vein and portal vein, only the abnormal rates of ALT and total bilirubin levels were higher in males than in females, the difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Outpatient department-based CHB cohort was established successfully in Qidong, and sub-cohort could be divided according to the differences on baseline characteristics.

Keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Cohort study; Hepatitis B virus.