Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and relationship to serum transaminase levels in Indian population.

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious public health issue that must be addressed.

AIM: The goal of this study was to investigate the correlation between serological status for hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)/anti-HBe, serum transaminase levels, and serum HBV-DNA in patients with chronic HBV infection.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study with 620 patients with persistent HBV infection (mean age, 36.35 years; 506 men) was conducted. All patients tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Liver profile, HBeAg, and anti-HBe antibody tests were conducted for all patients. Additionally, serum HBV DNA was examined using a DNA assay in these individuals.

RESULTS

Of 620 patients, 114 (18.39%) were HBeAg-positive and 506 (81.61%) HBeAg-negative. A detectable level of HBV DNA was found in 89.79% of HBeAg-positive/anti-HBe negative patients compared to HBeAg-negative/anti-HBe positive carriers 33.69% (P value <0.0001). The median viral load was significantly higher in HBeAg-positive cases (4.72 log10 copies/mL) than in HBeAg-negative individuals (4.23 log10 copies/mL; P = 0.997). Additionally, a higher proportion of HBeAg-positive samples (P = 0.0001) had HBV-DNA levels above 10,000 copies/mL.