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Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatitis B and C: Bridging Innovation and Implementation

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1110

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rawi Hazzan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Liver Clinic, Clalit Health Service—Northern District, Nazareth 19132, Israel
2. Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 52900, Israel
Interests: cirrhosis; autoimmune hepatitis; hepatitis C; hepatitis B; hepatitis D; mald-metabolizing dysfunction-associated steatotic liver dIsease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fadi Abu Baker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Hadera 38100, Israel
2. Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31096, Israel
Interests: cirrhosis; autoimmune hepatitis; viral hepatitis; MASLD

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent years, global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis have gained unprecedented momentum. The remarkable success of direct-acting antivirals has made hepatitis C a curable disease, yet major challenges persist in achieving equitable diagnosis, treatment access, and sustained elimination across populations. In parallel, advances in hepatitis B research are renewing optimism for a future functional cure, as innovative therapeutic and immunologic strategies continue to evolve.

This Special Issue will highlight multidisciplinary progress and ongoing unmet needs across the HBV and HCV care continuum—from early detection and linkage to care to treatment optimization, adherence, and long-term outcome improvement. By integrating clinical and public-health perspectives, this collection aims to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and real-world implementation, supporting the global agenda toward the elimination of hepatitis C and the eventual cure of hepatitis B.

Dr. Rawi Hazzan
Dr. Fadi Abu Baker
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hepatitis B virus (HBV)
  • hepatitis C virus (HCV)
  • hepatitis delta virus (HDV)
  • early diagnosis
  • viral hepatitis elimination
  • functional cure
  • direct-acting antivirals (DAAs)
  • antiviral therapy
  • treatment adherence
  • care cascade
  • screening programs
  • health policy

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 956 KB  
Article
Hepatitis B in Hemodialysis: Serologic Dynamics and Implications for Care
by Rawi Hazzan, Nana Peleg, Tarek Saadi, Mahmood Mahajna, Maanit Shapira, Yana Tal, Ahlam Bsoul, Oren Gal and Fadi Abu Baker
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(8), 2950; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15082950 - 13 Apr 2026
Viewed by 428
Abstract
Background: Hemodialysis patients are particularly vulnerable to hepatitis B virus (HBV) due to immunosuppression and repeated vascular access. While universal childhood vaccination has reduced population-level HBV prevalence, dialysis units require tailored prevention and monitoring strategies. This study aimed to characterize HBV serologic [...] Read more.
Background: Hemodialysis patients are particularly vulnerable to hepatitis B virus (HBV) due to immunosuppression and repeated vascular access. While universal childhood vaccination has reduced population-level HBV prevalence, dialysis units require tailored prevention and monitoring strategies. This study aimed to characterize HBV serologic profiles, evaluate immune responses, and assess the kinetics of antibody waning in a diverse hemodialysis population. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 565 adult hemodialysis patients (2015–2024), assessing HBV seroprevalence, seroconversion, booster response, and antibody waning. Subgroup comparisons were made by ethnicity and birth cohort (pre- vs. post-1992 national vaccine rollout). Time-to-waning analyses were performed using Kaplan–Meier methods. Results: HBsAg and anti-HBc were positive in 4.1% and 31.7% of patients, respectively; 3.7% were HCV seropositive. No HBsAg seroconversions occurred, and 2.1% of initially anti-HBc-negative patients seroconverted. Among patients with isolated anti-HBc, 80.9% developed protective anti-HBs titers, and none became HBsAg- or HBV DNA-positive. Waning anti-HBs titers occurred in 67.5% (median: 7.3 months), with 87.4% demonstrating a serologic response following documented vaccine delivery. Patients born after 1992 showed higher isolated anti-HBs positivity and lower anti-HBc prevalence. Ethnic subgroup analysis showed higher exposure rates but similar booster response among minority patients. Conclusions: HBV serologic profiles in this hemodialysis cohort reflected the interplay of immunosuppression, vaccination practices, and evolving epidemiologic trends. Subgroups exhibited variable vaccine responses, differing patterns of antibody waning, and a low incidence of new infections. These findings support tailored, population-specific HBV monitoring and prevention strategies in dialysis care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatitis B and C: Bridging Innovation and Implementation)
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13 pages, 2004 KB  
Article
Heterogeneity Analysis of HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Ultra-High Viral Load (HBV DNA ≥ 7.0 log10 IU/mL)
by Guifeng Li, Rong Ren, Jie Liu and Jia Li
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(6), 2164; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15062164 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 431
Abstract
Background/Objectives: HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with very high viral replication are often clinically considered a homogeneous, low-risk population. However, substantial biochemical, virological, and fibrosis-related heterogeneity may exist. This study aimed to characterize this heterogeneity in treatment-naive, HBeAg-positive CHB patients with [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with very high viral replication are often clinically considered a homogeneous, low-risk population. However, substantial biochemical, virological, and fibrosis-related heterogeneity may exist. This study aimed to characterize this heterogeneity in treatment-naive, HBeAg-positive CHB patients with ultra-high viral loads (HBV DNA ≥ 7.0 log10 IU/mL). Furthermore, we sought to identify predictors of significant fibrosis and detect clinically relevant discordant phenotypes, such as silent disease progression despite normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Methods: This single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed consecutively screened eligible patients. A liver stiffness measurement (LSM, kPa) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP, dB/m) were obtained via transient elastography. Significant fibrosis was defined as an LSM ≥ 7.0 kPa. Statistical evaluations included Spearman’s correlation, multivariable regression, ALT-LSM stratification, and K-means clustering. Results: Among 413 included patients, age and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) emerged as independent risk factors for significant fibrosis, whereas log10 HBV DNA and log10 HBsAg were independent negative predictors. Patients with HBsAg ≥ 25,000 IU/mL exhibited significantly lower LSM values than those with lower HBsAg levels. Notably, 18.4% of patients with strictly normal ALT (≤40 U/L) presented with an LSM ≥ 7.0 kPa, indicating silent progression. Cluster analysis further identified two distinct patient phenotypes characterized by differing age, ALT, viral load, and fibrosis profiles. Conclusions: An ultra-high viral load in HBeAg-positive CHB does not guarantee a uniformly benign clinical state. By quantifying biochemical, virological, and fibrotic heterogeneity, this study highlights a critical subgroup with silent fibrosis progression that risks being overlooked by ALT-based assessments alone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatitis B and C: Bridging Innovation and Implementation)
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