Natural History of HBeAg Negative Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Cohort Study.
- Author:
Chang Mo MOON
1
;
Do Young KIM
;
Ki Jun SONG
;
Ja Kyung KIM
;
Hyun Woong LEE
;
Jung Min LEE
;
Ki Tae YOON
;
Yong Han PAIK
;
Dong Ki KIM
;
Kwang Hyub HAN
;
Chae Yoon CHON
;
Young Myoung MOON
;
Sang Hoon AHN
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ahnsh@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; English Abstract
- Keywords:
Hepatitis B virus;
Hepatitis B, chronic;
Hepatitis B e antigens;
Carrier state;
Prognosis
- MeSH:
Middle Aged;
Male;
Humans;
Hepatitis B, Chronic/*immunology/virology;
Hepatitis B e Antigens/*blood;
Female;
Carrier State/immunology;
Adult
- From:The Korean Journal of Hepatology
2006;12(2):163-172
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The long-term virologic and biochemical changes in patients with HBeAg negative HBV infection, especially in Asia, remain unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a 3 year- retrospective, cohort study. METHODS: A total of 157 patients with HBeAg negative HBV infection who were monitored without treatment were reviewed between January 1999 and March 2004. Those patients were followed up every 3 months with liver function tests and serologic tests. All patients were stratified into 3 groups; inactive carrier (IC), viremic carrier (VC) and chronic hepatitis (CH). Serum HBV DNA was measured by a hybridization assay (sensitivity: 1.4 x 10(5) genomes/mL, Digene Diagnostics, Silver Spring, USA). RESULTS: The median age of enrolled patients was 42.7 years (M:F=2.3:1). By single time-point observations, the 3 year-cohort prevalence of HBeAg negative CH varied from 12.7 to 35.8% (median 20.7%) HBeAg negative CH was accumulated over time (P=0.002) and transition rates among three groups after 3 years of follow-up are as follows: IC to CH, 6.0%; IC to VC, 4.1%; VC to CH, 23.2%. VC seems to be a disease state in the middle of transition from IC to CH. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the dynamic changing patterns of HBeAg negative CH with time, of which the change from IC or VC to CH was dominant.
