Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains one of the most serious and prevalent health problems in the world. To determine the serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with low HBV DNA levels and analyze the influencing factors. Seventy-two CHB patients with low HBV DNA levels were enrolled and divided into 2 groups according to hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status; their age, sex, the incidence of HBV RNA level < lower limit of detection (LLD), and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), quantitative determination of HBsAg (qHBsAg), HBV DNA, and HBV RNA levels were compared. The factors influencing serum HBV RNA levels < LLD and the correlation between serum HBV RNA levels, and serum ALT, AST, qHBsAg and HBV DNA levels were analyzed. In HBeAg-positive patients, serum AST, qHBsAg and HBV RNA levels were higher, and serum HBV DNA levels and incidence of HBV RNA < LLD were lower than those in HBeAg-negative patients (p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that HBeAg is a factor that significantly influences serum HBV RNA levels in patients with CHB (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that HBeAg and qHBsAg are factors that influence serum HBV RNA levels < LLD in patients with CHB. In HBeAg-positive patients, serum HBV RNA levels were positively correlated with qHBsAg and HBeAg. The serum HBV RNA levels in CHB patients with low HBV DNA levels varied according to HBeAg status. The HBeAg is a factor that significantly influences serum HBV RNA levels in patients with CHB, while HBeAg and qHBsAg are factors that significantly influence serum HBV RNA levels < LLD in patients with CHB.
Highlights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains one of the most serious and prevalent health problems in the world
Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and quantitative determination of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (qHBsAg) are factors that influence serum HBV RNA levels < lower limit of detection (LLD) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)
The serum HBV RNA levels in CHB patients with low HBV DNA levels varied according to HBeAg status
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains one of the most serious and prevalent health problems in the world. Studies have demonstrated that despite the low concentration of HBV DNA in the serum of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, cccDNA still actively replicates in vivo. This is evident through the observation of enhanced inflammation and fibrosis reported in liver histology.[5] The monitoring of cccDNA in liver tissue requires an invasive liver biopsy, which is difficult to continuously implement in clinical practice. The uneven distribution of cccDNA in liver tissue and the presence of relaxed circular doublestranded DNA (rcDNA) increase the difficulty of detecting HBV.[6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Advances in clinical and experimental medicine : official organ Wroclaw Medical University
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
