title: Hepatitis B viral factors in HBeAg-negative carriers with persistently normal serum alanine aminotransferase levels.
abstract: Chronic hepatitis B patients with high-normal serum ALT (levels of 0.5-1x upper limit of normal) are still at risk of liver disease progression. We thus investigated the correlation between serum ALT level and hepatitis B viral factors in HBeAg-negative carriers with persistently normal serum ALT level (PNALT). Baseline clinical and virological features of 414 HBeAg-negative carriers, including 176 (42.5%) with low-normal ALT (levels of less than 0.5x upper limit of normal) and 238 (57.5%) with high-normal ALT, were compared. Compared with HBV carriers with low-normal ALT, those with high-normal ALT were older (41 vs. 37 years, P<0.001) and had a greater frequency of serum HBV DNA level>10(4) copies/ml (63.4% vs. 47.5%, P<0.001) as well as a higher prevalence of basal core promoter T1762/A1764 mutant (36.5% vs. 24.2%, P=0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that factors associated with a high-normal serum ALT level included male sex [odds ratio (OR), 1.82; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-3.01, P=0.019], increasing age (OR, <30 years: 1, reference; 30-39 years: 2.43, 95% CI, 1.18-5.03, P=0.016; 40-49 years: 4.22, 95% CI, 1.99-8.93, P<0.001; >or=50 years: 4.06, 95% CI, 1.69-9.78, P=0.002) and serum HBV DNA level>10(4) copies/ml (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.07-3.13, P=0.027).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBeAg-negative patients with persistently normal ALT are not a homogenous group, and those with high-normal ALT share some of the characteristics that have been associated with adverse long-term outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Ren-Ai branch, Taipei City Hospital, and Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Li-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Chun-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ming-Whei
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Yu
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
authors.forename: Jia-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase