title: Occult hepatitis B virus infection and cryptogenic chronic hepatitis in an area with intermediate prevalence of HBV infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the possible role of occult HBV infection in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis in Iranian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  After exclusion of autoimmune, metabolic and viral etiologies, 104 consecutive adult patients with histologic and biochemical features of chronic hepatitis and negative HBsAg were enrolled in the study. Qualitative PCR with a sensitivity of 150 x 10(3) copies/L, using two primers for Pre-S and core regions was applied to measure presence of HBV DNA in serum of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 104 patients completed the study. Qualitative HBV DNA was positive in two patients (1.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occult HBV infection has negligible role in the pathogenesis of cryptogenic chronic hepatitis in Iranian patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. kavianim@sums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Mohammad Javad
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kaviani
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Behbahani
authors.forename: Mohammad Jafar
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mosallaii
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sari-Aslani
authors.forename: Seyed Alireza
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Taghavi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral