J Korean Med Sci.  2003 Oct;18(5):686-690. 10.3346/jkms.2003.18.5.686.

Serum Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)DNA Levels at Different Stages of Clinical Course in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection in an Endemic Area

• Heo J
• Baik TH
• Kim HH
• Kim GH
• Kang DH
• Song GA
• Cho M
• Yang US

• KMID: 1130039
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2003.18.5.686

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels at different clinical stages in patients with chronic HBV infection, and to determine the serum HBV DNA level that discriminated HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B(CHB) cases from inactive HBsAg carriers. In all, 222 patients, encompassing 68 HBeAg-positive CHB patients (HBeAg-positive, ALT-elevation), 89 HBeAg-negative CHB patients (HBeAg-negative, ALT-elevation), and 65 inactive HBsAg carriers (HBeAg-negative, ALT-normal), were tested. The ALT levels had been tested more than twice during the previous six months, and the serum HBV DNA levels were quantified by a polymerase chain reaction-based assay. The serum HBV DNA levels of the HBeAg-negative patients were significantly lower than those of the HBeAg-positive patients (median 2.7 x 10(4) vs. 1.6 x 10(8) copies/mL; p=0.000). In addition, the HBV DNA levels of the HBeAg-negative CHB patients were significantly higher than those of the inactive HBsAg carriers (median 2.2 x 10(5) vs. 3.2 x 10(3) copies/ mL; p=0.000). The optimal HBV DNA level for discriminating HBeAg-negative CHB cases from inactive HBsAg carriers was 2.0 x 10(4) copies/mL. The serum HBV DNA levels were lower than the cutoff value in 72.3% (47/65) of the inactive HBsAg carriers, and in 31.5% (28/89) of the HBeAg-negative CHB patients. The serum HBV DNA levels differed significantly between these two groups. However, the levels in the two groups overlapped extensively, preventing the definition of a differentiation cut-off value.

Keyword

Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Hepatitis B, Chronic; HB e Antigens; Hepatitis B Surbace Antigens; Virus, hepatitis

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Child
DNA/chemistry
DNA, Viral/*genetics
False Positive Reactions
Female
Hepatitis B/metabolism/*pathology
Hepatitis B Virus/*metabolism
Human
Liver/metabolism
Male
Middle Aged
Polymerase Chain Reaction
ROC Curve