title: Comparison of relationship between histopathological, serological and biochemical parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the relationship between liver histology, alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels based on hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seropositivity status in naive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Naive patients with CHB admitted to our hospital between January 2012 and April 2014 were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were allocated into one of two groups based on HBeAg-seropositivity status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and fourteen patients were enrolled in the study. Of these 214 patients, 103 (48.1%) were HBeAg-positive and 111 (51.9%) were HBeAg-negative. In the HBeAg-positive group, positive correlations were found between histologic activity index (HAI) scores and ALT (t=3.3, r=0.31, p=0.001), AST (t=2.8, r=0.27, p=0.005) and HBV DNA load (t=2.5, r=0.24, p=0.014). Additionally, in this group, fibrosis scores had positive correlations with ALT (t=3.3, r=0.32, p=0.001) and AST (t=2.7, r=0.26, p=0.008). In the HBeAg-negative group, positive correlations were found between HAI scores and ALT (t=3, r=0. 28, p=0.003), AST (t=3, r=0. 28, p=0.003) and HBV DNA (t=5.3, r=0. 45, p=0). In this same group, fibrosis scores had a positive correlation with HBV DNA (t=2.2, r=0. 21, p=0.024). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a positive relationship between fibrosis and ALT in the HBeAg-positive group and a positive relationship between fibrosis and HBV DNA load in the HBeAg-negative group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that HBV DNA load is an independent predictive factor for evaluating HAI and fibrosis in the HBeAg-negative group. Also, ALT is an independent predictive factor for evaluating fibrosis in the HBeAg-positive group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Tatvan Military Hospital, Bitlis, Turkey.
authors.forename: Husrev
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Diktas
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Etimesgut Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karacaer
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Beytepe Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: I Ilker
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Özturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Etimesgut Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cicek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: ALT; AST; HBV DNA; Hepatitis B; correlation