Abstract
Occult hepatitis B infection is characterized by negative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) and also detectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. Spontaneous HBs Ag-negative is a rare occurrence in chronic hepatitis B patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV DNA in patients that surface antigen hepatitis B virus had lost. During this study, 3320 patients with chronic hepatitis B were followed, of which 1750 patients were men and 1570 patients women. They were HBs Ag-negative patients and AST and ALT levels were normal in them. To isolate HBV DNA, real-time PCR technique was performed, while ELISA technique was used to detect HBs Ag. Data collected and analyzed by SPSS software. Of the 3320 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus, 96 patients—including 62 men (64.5%) and 34 women (35.4%)—had no HBV surface antigen and a significant relationship was observed between HBs Ag clearance process and gender (p value = 0.05). The prevalence of HBV DNA was reported in 29.2% of cases. It is worth noting that between HBV DNA positive and using antiviral drugs, a significant relationship has been observed in patients (p = 0.0001). Our results showed a significant relationship between existence of HBV DNA and drug consumption.
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The authors want to thank the staff of Infectious Diseases Research Center of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd.
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Ayatollahi, J., Shooroki, V.K., Doosti, M. et al. Investigation of Prevalence of HBV DNA in the Individuals of Negative HBs Ag in Yazd, Iran. SN Compr. Clin. Med. 1, 183–187 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-018-0037-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-018-0037-0