title: [Natural history of HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a cohort study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The long-term virologic and biochemical changes in patients with HBeAg negative HBV infection, especially in Asia, remain unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a 3 year- retrospective, cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 157 patients with HBeAg negative HBV infection who were monitored without treatment were reviewed between January 1999 and March 2004. Those patients were followed up every 3 months with liver function tests and serologic tests. All patients were stratified into 3 groups; inactive carrier (IC), viremic carrier (VC) and chronic hepatitis (CH). Serum HBV DNA was measured by a hybridization assay (sensitivity: 1.4 x 10(5)) genomes/mL, Digene Diagnostics, Silver Spring, USA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age of enrolled patients was 42.7 years (M:F=2.3:1). By single time-point observations, the 3 year-cohort prevalence of HBeAg negative CH varied from 12.7 to 35.8% (median 20.7%) HBeAg negative CH was accumulated over time (P=0.002) and transition rates among three groups after 3 years of follow-up are as follows: IC to CH, 6.0%; IC to VC, 4.1%; VC to CH, 23.2%. VC seems to be a disease state in the middle of transition from IC to CH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated the dynamic changing patterns of HBeAg negative CH with time, of which the change from IC or VC to CH was dominant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Do Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Jun
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ja Kyung
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Woong
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jung Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki Tae
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Yong Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Dong Ki
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang-Hyub
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Chae Yoon
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chon
authors.forename: Young Myoung
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens