Hepatitis B remains a major health problem. Globally, approximately 240 million persons are chronically infected (HBsAg positive). Prevalence is decreasing in highly endemic countries due to better socioeconomic circumstances and vaccination programs. However, prevalence and incidence in several low-endemic European countries are changing, owing to higher HBsAg prevalence rates in migrants and refugees from outside Europe compared with the indigenous population. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major and most deadly consequences of chronic hepatitis B.
