title: [The relationship between the levels of HBV DNA loads and both the clinical characteristics and 48-week prognosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis B].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between the levels of HBV DNA loads and both the clinical characteristics and 48-week prognosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis B.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-three patients with decompensated cirrhosis of hepatitis B virus infection were divided into low level HBV DNA group [HBV DNA < 10(5) copies/ml = (46 cases) and high-level HBV-DNA group (HBV DNA > or = 10(5) copies/ml) (97 cases)]. 21 cases in low-level group and 52 cases in high-level group treated with nucleoside analog.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between the two groups on the demography and the baseline in ALT, ALB, TBil, CHE before treatment, while in AST and HBeAg were statistically different. At 48-week, there was no significant difference between the two groups on the liver function. The mortality rate in low-level group was similar to that in high level group. In the low-level HBV DNA patients, hepatocellular carcinoma, spontaneous peritonitis and gastrointestinal hemorrhage were higer than that in the high-level HBV DNA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, those who were in low-level HBV DNA had not got better than that in high-level HBV DNA, which indicated that earlier treatment was also needed in low-level HBV DNA patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. xqh0303@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Qi-Huan
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yu-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Jie
authors.forename: Shu-Zhen
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Ni
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qi-Feng
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral