Etiology and prognosis of cryptogenic liver cirrhosis: possible contribution of hepatitis B virus.
Three female patients without type B or type C viral hepatitis, alcoholic, metabolic or autoimmune liver disease, were selected from 250 cases with histologically proven liver cirrhosis (M:F = 183:67). All three cases showed at least one positive aspect among three parameters of serum anti-HBc (RPHA, x1), HBV-DNA (gene S, nested PCR) and liver HBs and/or pre-S2 antigen (immunoperoxidase methods). Two cases may suggest a spontaneous disappearance of HBV from sera. Another case may suggest a contribution of mutant HBV which can not be detected by the routine tests. These HBV-related cirrhotic patients have done well clinically and have not been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma during the period from 6 to 12 years of follow-up when compared with 59.6% and 65.4% prevalence of hepatocarcinogenesis in type B and type C hepatitis-associated cirrhosis during the observation period of six and seven years on average, respectively.
Watanabe
A
A
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Aiba
N
N
Harada
R
R
Miyabayashi
C
C
Entani
A
A
Wakabayashi
H
H
Nishimori
H
H
Kuwabara
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral