Quantitatively Evaluate the Improvement of Functional Cure for the Quality of Life of Chronic Hepatitis B Cases: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Background: Functional cure of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) can be achieved with appropriate antiviral treatment. However, few studies have evaluated the added benefits of achieving functional cure. We aimed to conduct a quantitative analysis of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of CHB patients who achieved functional cure to provide evidence for economic analysis. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in five provinces in China in 2021. The study population was recruited in hospitals and divided into three groups: functional cure, antiviral treatment, and healthy control group. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Short Form-36 version 2. Results: 497 participants (163 with functional cure, 192 with antiviral treatment, and 142 with healthy control) were used in this study. The eight scale scores (physical function, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health) and two summary scores (physical composite and mental composite) in the functional cure and healthy control groups were similar. Compared to the healthy control group, the general health scores in the functional cure group were worse with -0.052 (95% CI: -0.094, -0.010), and the antiviral treatment group had significantly worse scores with -0.127 (95% CI: -0.170, -0.083). The antiviral treatment group had lower vitality scores (β = -0.048, 95% CI: -0.089 to -0.007) and MCS scores (β = -0.023, 95% CI: -0.042, -0.003, p = 0.022) compared to the healthy control. The mental composite summary scores of all groups were >50 (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Health-related quality of life decreases with CHB disease progression. The results indicate that functional cure is associated with HRQoL levels comparable to those of the healthy population, both on the physical and psychological aspect, reinforcing the clinical value of this therapeutic goal.