Becoming active is linked to lower mortality in chronic hepatitis B
Initiating moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with an all-cause mortality hazard ratio of 0.89 compared with remaining inactive over a median 7.9-year follow-up.
Journal of Viral Hepatitis
In an observational study of 318,131 adults with chronic hepatitis B from the Korean National Health Insurance database, all participants were physically inactive at an initial health screening. Within four years, 58,703 participants initiated moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Over a median follow-up of 7.9 years, 7,609 deaths occurred. Compared with individuals who remained inactive, those who began exercising had lower all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84–0.94). Starting activity was also linked to lower risks of liver-related events (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.97) and hepatocellular carcinoma (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91–0.99). These associations were more pronounced in older adults, women, never smokers, non-drinkers, and untreated participants.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that adopting physical activity later in life may help mitigate mortality and end-stage organ complications, particularly among older individuals managing chronic viral disease.
Caveats
The study was observational, meaning it cannot determine causality, and physical activity was assessed through routine health screenings. The cohort was also drawn entirely from a single nationwide population in South Korea.
The paper
Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Journal of Viral Hepatitis · 5 Oct 2026