[A study of chronic hepatitis B infection superinfected with hepatitis E infection].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the influence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection on the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by observing clinical features, the relationship between the number of HBV DNA copies in serum, the degree of hepatic function impairments and prognosis of chronic hepatitis B patients with hepatitis E superinfection.


METHODS
One hundred and fifteen chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 115 CHB patients with hepatitis E (HE) superinfection were studied and compared. 74 liver tissue biopsy samples of the CHB and 51 of the CHB-HE sufferers were obtained. HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HBc, anti-HBc-IgG, anti-HBc-IgM, HBV DNA and anti-HEVIgM were detected respectively by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
The number of HBV DNA copies in sera in the CHB-HE group and the severity of the clinical features were significantly higher than those in the CHB group. The former group had a poorer prognosis with a 49.6% occurrence rate of severe hepatitis and a 25.2% death rate while in the latter group the corresponding rates were just 4.4% and 1.7%.


CONCLUSIONS
Re-infection with HEV, in those CHB patients, severely damaged their hepatic functions and increased their mortality; the older the patient and the higher the level of HBV DNA, the poorer the prognosis.
Zhang
Guo-Shun
GS
North China Coal Medical College, Tangshan 063000, China.
Feng
Fu-Min
FM
Li
Yu-Lin
YL
Yuan
Ju-Xiang
JX
Shang
Hua
H
D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000821:virology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015163:Superinfection