Clinical characteristics and association analysis of persistent low-level HBsAg expression in a physical examination population with HBV infection.

Clinical characteristics and association analysis of persistent low-level HBsAg expression in a physical examination population with HBV infection. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Jan;19(1):19-32 Authors: Dai Y, Che F, Jiang X, Cui D, Zhou H, Xu X, Sun C, Cheng J Abstract Certain patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection present with persistently low levels of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and have been indicated to have low rates of HBV nucleic acid replication. To explore the serological and molecular epidemiological characteristics of HBV population with low-level HBsAg in the present study, associated serum markers and virologic genotype detection were performed accordingly. Determination of HBV markers was performed using a chemiluminescence immunoassay from which 2,544 out of 45,256 adults who underwent routine health examination were tested positive for HBsAg. HBV DNA was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The patients were divided into low-level and high-level groups, according to their HBsAg levels (cut-off value, 10 IU/ml). The prevalence and levels of HBsAg positivity and HBV DNA in patients with HBV infection were analyzed by age, sex, serological pattern and clinical type. The fibrosis status of patients with low-level HBsAg was assessed by determining the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (APRI), and sequencing was employed to determine serotypes and genotypes. HBV-infected patients with...
Source: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine - Category: General Medicine Tags: Exp Ther Med Source Type: research