Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) affects 400 million people worldwide and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. It is known that HBV DNA sequences were detected after the clearance of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) often in serum, liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the previous measurements of HBsAg titers versus. quantitative hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and ALT measurements in order to predict the nonresponse and response in interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha)-treated HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative chronic HBV patients.
Methods: We investigate whether the presence of precore mutant affects the response to IFN-alpha therapy and on the titer of HBsAg or not. Twenty-one HBeAg-positive (group 1), 38 HBeAg-negative (group 2), and 47 healthy inactive carriers (group 3) made up this study. Liver biopsy showed chronic hepatitis, there was no cirrhosis and none of the patients had IFN-alpha therapy before.
Results: The decrease in HBsAg titers was found as statistically not significant in groups 1 (p = 0.192) and 3 (p = 0.236) and statistically significant in group 2 (p = 0.0001) within a 6-month interval.
Conclusion: HBsAg titer may be a factor to predict the primary responders and nonresponders specially in HBeAg-negative patients.
(c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.