[Diagnostic value of urine HBV DNA for hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis]

To investigate the potential value of urine hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA as a new noninvasive diagnostic indicator for HBV-associated glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN).

A total of 152 patients including 66 with HBV-GN, 66 with non-HBV-GN, and 20 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) without renal disease were examined for serum and urine HBV DNA levels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for 5 serum HBV markers using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Twenty-two patients (33%) in the HBV-GN group, but none in the other two groups, were found positive for urine HBV DNA. In the diagnosis of HBV-GN, urine HBV DNA had a high specificity (0.98), a good positive predictive value (PPV, 0.96), and a modest negative predictive value (NPV, 0.60). Urine HBV DNA, alone or in combination with serum HBeAg, was superior in the diagnosis of HBV-GN to the combination of urine HBV DNA with serum HBV DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen and the hepatitis B e antigen.

Urine HBV DNA may be one of the new noninvasive diagnostic criterion for HBV-GN.