Clinical features of treatment-naive patients with hepatitis B virus infection: A community-based survey from high- and intermediate-hepatitis B endemicity regions in Southeast China

Abstract

The aim of study was to investigate the clinical features of treatment-naive patients in 2 regions with high- and intermediate-hepatitis B endemicity level in Southeast China and provide the baseline data for monitoring health or planning therapy. This study included 8207 cases of treatment-naive patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from Yuhuan (YH, high-hepatitis B endemicity region) and Shaoxing (SX, intermediate-hepatitis B endemicity region) during 2014-2015. Clinical data were collected from the patients. Blood samples were kept for detecting hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis B envelope antibody, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, liver function, HBV DNA, and alpha-fetoprotein. All persons underwent B ultrasound to exclude liver cirrhosis or cancer. Of all 8207 HBsAg-positive patients, 52.9% patients were in the low-replication (LR) stage and 30.3% in the HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (ENH) stage; 8.8% cases were in the ENH stage with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). More male than female patients were in immune clearance (IC) or ENH stages with elevated ALT (10.4% vs 4.8%, 12.1% vs 5.3%, respectively, P