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Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen as a screening test for occult hepatitis B virus infection in Egyptian chronic hepatitis C patients
- Source :
- Journal of Gastroenterology. 44:359-364
- Publication Year :
- 2009
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2009.
-
Abstract
- The presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in liver tissue and/or in serum in the absence of detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is called occult HBV infection. This pattern was identified in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the role of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) as a screening test for occult HBV infection in Egyptian chronic HCV patients.One hundred chronic HCV patients negative for HBsAg were included and subdivided into two groups according to anti-HBc-IgG seroreactivity. Group A included 71 patients positive for anti-HBc (53 men and 18 women, mean age +/- SD 48.8 +/- 9.6 years), and group B included 29 patients negative for anti-HBc (18 men and 11 women, mean age +/- SD 46.6 +/- 11.7 years). All patients were subjected to full clinical assessment, routine laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography and quantification of HBV-DNA by real-time PCR.Chronic HCV patients positive for anti-HBc have more severe liver disease compared with anti-HBc negative patients. Although HBV-DNA in the serum was detected in 22.5% of anti-HBc-positive chronic HCV patients, it was not detected in any of anti-HBc-negative chronic HCV patients. There was no significant difference in any of the clinical and laboratory data tested between anti-HBc-positive patients with and without HBV-DNA in the serum.A significant number of patients with anti-HBc had detectable levels of HBV-DNA in the serum. Egyptian chronic HCV patients have a high prevalence of occult HBV infection.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Hepatitis B virus
medicine.medical_specialty
HBsAg
medicine.disease_cause
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Severity of Illness Index
Gastroenterology
Virus
Liver disease
Antigen
Internal medicine
parasitic diseases
Prevalence
medicine
Humans
Hepatitis B Antibodies
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
biology
business.industry
virus diseases
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C, Chronic
Middle Aged
Hepatology
Hepatitis B
medicine.disease
Virology
digestive system diseases
DNA, Viral
biology.protein
Egypt
Female
Antibody
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14355922 and 09441174
- Volume :
- 44
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Gastroenterology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....270cd8f739b29772890e2120ccd1a4df