title: [Pre S2: a marker for chronicity and/or liver damage in hepatitis B infection?].
abstract: Pre S2 was investigated using a monoclonal ELISA in 100 samples from 52 patients with different forms of infection with Hepatitis B virus. Pre S2 was present in 18 of 19 patients with acute hepatitis. Its persistence for more than 150 days after beginning of symptoms was associated to a chronic hepatitis state. It was also present in 11 patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, 15 asymptomatic Hepatitis B carriers and 3 of 4 patients with hepatic carcinoma. Pre S2 became negative in only 1 of 3 patients treated with interferon who had a positive response according to HBe and HBs antigens. Thus, Pre S2 is present in patients with evidence of viral replication. It is more a marker of persistent Hepatitis B infection than of chronic liver damage.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Gastroenterología, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brahm
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hurtado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latorre
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; C050807:presurface protein 2, hepatitis B surface antigen
vernacular_title: Pre S2 marcador de cronicidad y/o de daño hepatico de la infeccion con el virus de la hepatitis B?