Data collection
All subjects were followed up every six months. Baseline clinical and laboratory data were obtained through physical examination, questionnaire, routine blood test, FibroScan (controlled attenuation parameter [CAP] and liver stiffness measurement [LSM]), and virological examination. The participants were required to fast for at least 10 h before blood collection. Plasma and serum were collected and stored within 2 hours at −80 °C. Serum ALT levels were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) according to the standard protocol. HBV DNA levels and serological markers were measured using the Roche COBAS TaqMan platform (lower limit of detection for HBV DNA: 20 IU/mL) and the Elecsys immunoassay (Roche, Basel, Switzerland) at the Hepatology Unit of Nanfang Hospital.