Serum HBeAg and HBV DNA levels are not always proportional and only high levels of HBeAg most likely correlate with high levels of HBV DNA

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between quantitative hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, and to determine whether semiquantitative measurement of HBeAg can indicate the extent of HBV replication in HBeAg-positive subjects in the immune tolerant phase.A cross-sectional, community-based survey was carried out in 12 communities of 2 counties in Zhejiang Province, China. A panel of 788 HBeAg-positive subjects was divided into 4 groups according to HBV DNA level.Groups I (n = 111), II (n = 91), III (n = 124), and IV (n = 462) had HBV DNA levels below 103 copies/mL (PCR undetectable), between 103 and 105 copies/mL (PCR detectable), between 105 and 2 × 107 copies/mL (hybridization detectable), and >2 × 107 copies/mL, respectively. The HBeAg level correlated well with the HBV DNA level (R2 = 0.658; P < .01) on a log scale. The average HBeAg level in group IV was significantly higher than those in the other 3 groups, and the best HBeAg cut-off value for differentiating group IV from the other 3 groups was 768 S/CO, with a sensitivity of 94.4% and specificity of 91.1%.Semiquantification of HBeAg could indicate a relative HBV DNA level in HBeAg-positive subjects in the immune tolerant phase.

Application strategies of serum HBV DNA detection in HBV infection patients: A retrospective study of 5611 specimens

“…To determine whether HBV DNA was linearly related to HBsAg and HBeAg, a regression analysis between HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA had been performed, respectively. The correlation coefficients between HBsAg and HBV DNA, HBeAg, and HBV DNA were 0.16 and 0.28 respectively, which was lower than the reported 0.69 and 0.74 …”

Factors associated with disease progression and viral replication in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

“…Therefore, HBeAg has been regarded as an important indicator of disease severity; it also contributes to disease diagnosis and the formulation of treatment strategies. However, the results of the present and other studies have demonstrated that serum HBeAg patterns are not always positively associated with HBV DNA levels (23). To be more precise, several factors, including patients' demographic characteristics, should be considered in the treatment, prognostication and assessment of disease progression.…”

“…Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is a critical indicator to determine the severity of the disease and it is associated with the activity of viral replication and infectivity (22). In addition, HBeAg analysis is useful for predicting seroconversion and disease progression (23). However, how HBeAg expression influences HBV DNA levels, liver function and hepatic fibrosis remains elusive.…”

“…In general, HBeAg is a critical serological marker used to assess the infectivity and prognosis of a patient (23). To investigate whether qualitative HBeAg may serve as a marker to indicate the degree of liver injury in HBV carriers, all of the 478 patients were divided into 2 groups according to their HBeAg status (Table III), and the association between HBeAg and HBV replication levels, as well as parameters of liver function, were analyzed.…”

How to evaluate the HbeAg-positive during the natural course of Chronic Hepatitis B in clinic? A cross-sectional study

“…To our knowledge, few studies have assessed the correlation between HBeAg and serum HBV DNA. A survey carried by Ping Chen, Qinfen Xie, et al[30] showed the highest levels serum HBV DNA ( > 10 7 copies/mL) with 768 S/CO of the HBeAg level, which could indicate the relation of HBV DNA level in IT phage. In the current study analyzed the whole course of CHB in clinic.…”