title: HBeAg and not genotypes predicts viral load in patients with hepatitis B in Denmark: a nationwide cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the influence of HBV genotype on viral load in patients with HBV infection, and to investigate the relation to gender, age and country of origin or antibodies against hepatitis Be antigen (anti-HBe).
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated 1025 patients with hepatitis B virus infection in a nationwide study in Denmark.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of genotypes were: 10.5% A, 17.3% B, 20.5% C, 45.7% D, 3.2% E, 0.6% F, 1.1% G and 1% had more than one genotype. Nearly 60% of patients with genotype A were from Africa, 82% and 93% with genotypes B or C were from East Asia, 62% with genotype D came from the Middle East and 91% with genotype E came from Africa. More women had genotypes B (p = 0.006) or C (p < 0.001) while more men had genotypes A (p = 0.015) or D (p < 0.001). Women with genotypes B and D were younger than men (p < 0.001, p = 0.026). Viral load differed in genotype A and D compared with B and C (p < 0.001), and between anti-HBe and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive patients (median values 5.4 × 10(3) IU/ml and 7.4 × 10(7) IU/ml, respectively, p < 0.001). Viral load depended on the presence of HBeAg (p < 0.001; OR, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.03-0.07) in the adjusted analysis and was not affected by origin (p = 0.65), age (p = 0.12), gender (p = 0.06) or genotype (p = 0.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBeAg status and not HBV genotype influenced viral load in this nationwide study. HBeAg positive patients had median HBV-DNA levels 10,000 times higher than those anti-HBe positive across genotypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Section of Molecular Diagnostics, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. h.krarup@rn.dk
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krarup
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Poul Henning
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: Peer Brehm
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Alex Lund
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Laursen
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bentzen-Petersen
authors.forename: Jørn M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People; D044383:Black People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012737:Sex Factors; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens