title: Occult hepatitis B virus infection and clinical outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: Although occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in individuals without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) may occur and have been reported to be common in patients with chronic hepatitis C, the clinical relevance remains controversial. We searched for serum HBV DNA in 210 HBsAg-negative patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver disease (110 patients with chronic hepatitis, 50 patients with cirrhosis, and 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma) by PCR. Most of the patients had detectable antibodies to HBsAg or HBV core antigen. All of the 110 chronic hepatitis C patients were treated with a combination therapy consisting of interferon plus ribavirin. In addition, 100 HBsAg-negative healthy adults served as controls. Thirty-one of the 210 patients (14.8%) had HBV DNA in their sera, as did 15 of the 100 healthy controls (15%). HBV DNA was not detected in the sera of those negative for serological markers of HBV infection. In patients with chronic HCV infection, the prevalence of occult HBV infection did not parallel the severity of liver disease (14.5% in patients with chronic hepatitis, 8% in patients with liver cirrhosis, and 22% in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma). In addition, the sustained response to combination therapy against hepatitis C was comparable between patients with and without occult HBV infection (38 versus 39%). In conclusion, these data suggest that occult HBV infection does not have clinical significance in chronic hepatitis C patients residing in areas where HBV infection is endemic.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. kjh@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Jia-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Pei-Jer
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming-Yang
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ding-Shinn
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens