Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) mainly causes cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Metabolic fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease worldwide with the continuous changes in lifestyle and dietary patterns and the increase in the number of obese individuals. Consequently, the incidence rate of CHB combined with MAFLD is rapidly increasing. However, the pathogenesis, treatment, and clinical prognosis remain unclear due to the interaction between CHB and MAFLD. Notably, in the academic community, there are still controversies as to whether patients with CHB and MAFLD should immediately start antiviral treatment, whether MAFLD affects the antiviral efficacy in CHB patients, and whether nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) affect the body's metabolism. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical prognosis, treatment management strategies (especially the antiviral efficacy of NAs drugs), and NAs drug effects on the body's metabolism in patients with CHB combined with MAFLD so as to provide diagnostic and therapeutic concept for clinicians.