Antibody to Hepatitis B Core Antigen As a Screening Test for Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Egyptian Chronic Hepatitis C Patients

Overview

Journal J Gastroenterol

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 2009 Mar 10

PMID 19271112

Citations 20

Authors

Assem El-Sherif

Mohamed Abou-Shady

Hany Abou-Zeid

Ahmed Elwassief

Ashraf Elbahrawy

Yoshihide Ueda

Tsutomu Chiba

Abdel-Moneim Hosney

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Citing Articles

Genetic diversity and occult hepatitis B infection in Africa: A comprehensive review.

Bazie M, Sanou M, Djigma F, Compaore T, Obiri-Yeboah D, Kabamba B World J Hepatol. 2024; 16(5):843-859.

PMID: 38818293 PMC: 11135261. DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i5.843.

Prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection in Egypt: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Azzam A, Khaled H, El-Kayal E, Gad F, Omar S J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2023; 98(1):13.

PMID: 37491501 PMC: 10368600. DOI: 10.1186/s42506-023-00138-4.

Epidemiology of occult hepatitis B and C in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ndzie Ondigui J, Kenmoe S, Kengne-Nde C, Ebogo-Belobo J, Takuissu G, Kenfack-Momo R J Infect Public Health. 2022; 15(12):1436-1445.

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Prior hepatitis B virus infection as a co-factor of chronic hepatitis C patient survival after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Midorikawa Y, Takayama T, Nakayama H, Higaki T, Moriguchi M, Moriya K BMC Gastroenterol. 2019; 19(1):147.

PMID: 31426746 PMC: 6700986. DOI: 10.1186/s12876-019-1069-y.

Occult HBV infection status and its impact on surgical outcomes in patients with curative resection for HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Yamaji K, Kai K, Komukai S, Koga H, Ide T, Kawaguchi A Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr. 2019; 7(6):443-453.

PMID: 30652089 PMC: 6295390. DOI: 10.21037/hbsn.2018.10.01.

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