title: [Prevalence of latent (HBs negative) chronic hepatitis B among patients of infectious disease cabinets in St. Petersburg outpatients clinics].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of prevalence of latent form (HBsAg negative) of chronic viral hepatitis B (HVHB) among patients being examined in cabinets of St. Petersburg infectious disease polyclinics with chronic viral hepatitis diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory investigation included HVHB markers determination: HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBcor IgM, anti-HBcor, HBeAg, anti-HBe, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in blood sera and plasma of patients. A total of 705 individuals were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 25.4% of patients laboratory markers of hepatitis B virus were not present, 20.1% of patients were reconvalescent with anti-HBs antibodies in titers greater than 10 IU/ml and HBV DNA not present. Laboratory HVHB diagnosis was confirmed only in 384 (54.5%) of examined patients, most of these had HBsAg positive form of infection (69.0%) with HBV DNA in blood sera (60%). Only anti-HBcor or anti-HBe antibodies were detected and HBsAg and anti-HBs were not detected in 119 (31.0%) of cases. 6 patients of this group had HBV DNA in blood plasma higher than 20 IU/ml (1.6% of total number of patients with laboratory confirmed HVHB).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Standard laboratory examination of patients from hepatitis B infection (including HVHB) high risk groups should include a full list of markers (serological and DNA), thus allowing latent HVHB diagnostics, that, based on our data, amounts to 1.6% of examined patients with HVHB.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Semenov
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Vashukova
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens