Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2022; 28(35): 5233-5236
Published online Sep 21, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i35.5233
Hepatitis B viral infection and role of alcohol
Manuel Muro, Aurelia Collados-Ros, Isabel Legaz
Manuel Muro, Department of Immunology, Clinical University Hospital ́Virgen de la Arrixaca-IMIB (Murcian Institute of Biomedical Investigation), Murcia 30120, Spain
Aurelia Collados-Ros, Isabel Legaz, Department of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute (IMIB), Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia (Spain), Universidad de Murcia, Espinardo 30100, Murcia, Spain
Author contributions: Muro M and Legaz I designed the research; Collados-Ros A performed the research; Legaz I, Collados-Ros A, and Muro M wrote the letter; Muro M and Legaz I revised the letter.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Isabel Legaz, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute (IMIB), Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia (Spain), Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, Facultad de Medicina, Espinardo 30100, Murcia, Spain. isalegaz@um.es
Received: May 11, 2022
Peer-review started: May 11, 2022
First decision: June 27, 2022
Revised: July 1, 2022
Accepted: September 1, 2022
Article in press: September 1, 2022
Published online: September 21, 2022
Processing time: 127 Days and 0.5 Hours
Abstract

End-stage liver disease is frequently caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcohol consumption. Notably, the mechanism by which alcohol affects the course of HBV-associated liver disease is unknown, and additional research is needed in this area. A reduced immunological response, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, Golgi apparatus stress, and enhanced HBV replication are a few potential causes.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Alcohol; Hepatocarcinoma; Immunity; Liver disease

Core Tip: In this letter to the editor, we comment on and discuss the combined effects of alcohol consumption and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the progression of liver diseases. In the worst evolution of end-stage liver pathologies, a concordant clinical relationship between alcohol consumption and HBV infection starts to be revealed. There are many potential causes, but some might include increased viral replication, oxidative stress on cellular organelles, and weakened immune responses. Understanding these precepts will open new avenues in managing and treating these patients.