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Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA
04:11

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA

Published on: December 15, 2023

Hepatitis B surface antigen serum level is associated with fibrosis severity in treatment-naïve, e antigen-positive

Michelle Martinot-Peignoux1, Roberto Carvalho-Filho, Martine Lapalus

  • 1Centre de Recherche Biomédicale Bichat-Beaujon (CRB3), INSERM U-773 and Service d'Hépatologie Hôpital Beaujon APHP, Université Paris-Diderot, 92110 Clichy, France. michelle.martinot@inserm.fr

Journal of Hepatology
|February 2, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Low serum HBsAg levels are linked to severe liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A specific HBsAg cutoff may predict fibrosis in certain HBV genotypes.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a significant global health concern.
  • Understanding the relationship between viral markers and liver disease severity is crucial for patient management.
  • Limited data exists on serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in relation to liver disease severity in treatment-naïve CHB patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels and liver disease severity in a large cohort of treatment-naïve CHB patients.
  • To explore the predictive value of serum HBsAg levels for fibrosis severity.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 406 treatment-naïve CHB patients.
  • Simultaneous collection of serum samples and liver biopsies.
  • Quantification of serum HBsAg, HBV DNA, and HBV genotype; histological scoring using the METAVIR system.

Main Results:

  • Strong correlation between serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in HBeAg(+) patients (r=0.44).
  • Significant association between serum HBsAg levels and fibrosis severity (r=0.43).
  • HBeAg(+) patients with moderate to severe fibrosis showed lower serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels.
  • A serum HBsAg cut-off of 3.85 logIU/ml demonstrated high predictive value for fibrosis in HBV genotypes B or C.

Conclusions:

  • Low serum HBsAg levels are associated with moderate to severe liver fibrosis in HBeAg(+) CHB patients.
  • A serum HBsAg cut-off can predict fibrosis severity in CHB patients with HBV genotypes B or C.
  • These findings offer insights into non-invasive fibrosis assessment in CHB management.
Abstract

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