title: [Healthy and pseudo-healthy carriers of hepatitis B virus. A comparative clinical, biological and pathological approach].
abstract: From a series of 100 patients hospitalized for chronic hepatitis B infections (HBV), 51 chronic carriers of the HBs antigen without elevated aminotransferases or circulating HBV DNA were studied retrospectively. They had no unusual epidemiological or clinical features compared to the other patients, but were distinguished by their normal liver function tests, except for 5 cases of isolated hypergammaglobulinemia. Hepatic biopsies performed on 28 patients showed minor lesions or normal tissue in 61% of the cases and persistent chronic hepatitis (PCH) in 39% of them. No clinical or biological abnormality was significantly associated with PCH, which was attributed to a delta hepatitis (HDV) superinfection in only one case. There were no cases of active chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. The significance of the histological lesions in the absence of HBV replication or other symptoms of hepatocyte aggression was not elucidated; their longterm prognosis is not known even if no other difference, identifiable by usual methods, seems to exist between these "pseudo-healthy" carriers and real healthy carriers of HBV.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Laveran, Marseille.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Debonne
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Klotz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parzy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hovette
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aubry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002353:Carrier State; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000473:pathology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D000637:Transaminases
vernacular_title: Porteurs sains et "pseudo-porteurs sains" du virus de l'hépatite B. Approche clinique, biologique et histologique comparée.