Relationship between the development of precore and core promoter mutations and hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus.
Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (332 with and 44 without cirrhosis-related complications) were studied. Fifty percent of patients <30 years old had precore mutations. The prevalence of precore mutations among hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients, although lower than that among anti-HBe-positive patients (P=.031), was already high (44.2%). Median HBV DNA level in anti-HBe-positive patients was 1.5 x 10(6)-1.55 x 10(6) copies/mL, irrespective of the presence or absence of precore mutations. There was no difference in the prevalence of precore mutations between patients with and without complications (P, not significant). However the prevalence of core promoter mutations was higher among patients with complications than among those without complications (90.5% vs. 69.3%, respectively; P=.003). In conclusion, precore mutations occurred in a large proportion of Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus before HBeAg seroconversion. The development of complications was not related to precore mutations but was probably due to the persistence of significant viremia after HBeAg seroconversion.
Yuen
Man-Fung
MF
Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Sablon
Erwin
E
Yuan
He-Jun
HJ
Hui
Chee-Kin
CK
Wong
Danny Ka-Ho
DK
Doutreloigne
Joke
J
Wong
Benjamin Chun-Yu
BC
Chan
Annie On-On
AO
Lai
Ching-Lung
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens