Which Is Worse, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C?

Chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C virus infections are both potentially fatal conditions, but few head-to-head comparisons of clinical outcomes have been attempted.

Among almost 7000 American men included in a large prospective database of men who have sex with men, about 5% of participants entered the study with each type of chronic hepatitis. After a median follow-up of almost 8 years, all-cause mortality was similar in both groups, but liver-related mortality was significantly higher for those with chronic hepatitis B infections. This finding held true for both HIV-negative and HIV-positive participants, including those who were severely immunocompromised.

Excluding the few men in the study who underwent treatment for hepatitis C…