Korean J Hepatol.  2001 Dec;7(4):373-380.

Distribution of HBV Genotypes in Patients With Chronic HBV Infection in Korea

• Lee SH
• Han SH
• Cho SC
• Roh BJ
• Sohn JH
• Kim DA
• Lee DH
• Kee CS

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic HBV infection is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including asymptomatic carrier state, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Genotypically, HBV genomes have been classified into seven groups, designated A to G. Several studies have suggested recently that HBV genotypic differences influence the severity of liver disease and clinical outcomes. The distribution of HBV genotypes in Korea and its clinical relevance are poorly understood. We investigated the prevalence of HBV genotypes in Korea and the association between the distinct genotypes and the severity of liver disease.
METHODS
A total of 214 HBV-DNA positive serum samples, were used for the genotyping. All patients were HBV-bDNA positive chronic HBsAg carriers. 199 patients were histologically verified with liver cirrhosis (6), chronic hepatitis (192) and fatty liver (1). The other patients were clinically diagnosed with liver cirrhosis (13) or hepatocellular carcinoma (2). HBV genotype was determined by PCR using type-specific primers.
RESULTS
Genotyping was possible in all patients. Out of 214 patients, 213 (99.5%) were HBV genotype C. Only one (0.5%) was genotype A. The patient with genotype A had minimal hepatitis as diagnosed by liver biopsy.
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that almost all chronic HBV infections are genotype C in Korea. HBV genotypic difference therefore does not influence the clinical outcome of HBV infection in Korea. Because genotype C may be associated with more severe liver disease, the predominance of genotype C in Korea may result in more severe outcomes than in other countries where other genotypes are predominant.

Keyword

Hepatitis/Viral/HBV; HBV genotypes; Korea; nested PCR; Type specific primer; Epidemiology

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
Carrier State
Epidemiology
Fatty Liver
Genome
Genotype*
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
Hepatitis, Chronic
Humans
Korea*
Liver
Liver Cirrhosis
Liver Diseases
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens