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Hepatitis B e antigen–negative chronic hepatitis b in Hong Kong (2000)

Abstract

Hepatitis B e antigen–negative chronic hepatitis B (e−CHB) has been reported in Asia but its prevalence and clinical significance have not been determined. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of e−CHB in Hong Kong and the frequency of precore and core promoter mutations in these patients. A cross-sectional study was performed in 350 consecutive Chinese patients (230 men and 120 women; mean age ±SD, 42 ± 13 years) with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. A total of 243 (69%) patients were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative of whom 15% had clinical cirrhosis. In the remaining 85% of patients, 63% had normal and 22% had elevated transaminases. Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was detectable using branched DNA assay in 46% of HBeAg-negative patients with clinical cirrhosis/elevated transaminases. Forty-five percent of the patients with e−CHB had the precore stop codon mutation, and an additional 41% had core promoter changes. There was no correlation between the presence of precore/core promoter mutations and liver disease or HBV-DNA levels. Overall, 17% of HBeAg-negative patients were viremic and had evidence of chronic liver disease (e−CHB) with mean HBV-DNA levels comparable with that in HBeAg-positive patients. In summary, we found that e−CHB may be present in up to 17% of HBeAg-negative patients seen in a tertiary referral center in Hong Kong. e−CHB may be a heterogenous condition and is not invariably associated with the precore HBV mutant. Population studies are needed to determine the true prevalence of e−CHB in Asia and to assess its natural course and response to treatment.. Peer Reviewed. http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34778/1/510310330_ftp.pdf

Publication details

Download	, http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/34778 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=10706570&dopt=citation http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hep.510310330
Publisher	W.B. Saunders, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Contributors	Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan and VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI ; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan and VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan and VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI ; Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 3912 Taubman Center, Box 0362, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. fax: 734-936-7392, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China
Repository	University of Michigan (United States)
Keywords	Life and Medical Sciences, Hepatology, Internal Medicine and Specialties, Health Sciences
Language	English

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