Analysis of serum AFP levels in patients with virus hepatitis

Objective To investigate serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in patients with virus hepatitis. Methods Serum TB,ALT,AST, albumin, globulin, AFP and viral markers were determined in 310 patients with pathological proved virus hepatitis. The relation between AFP levels and clinical manifestation, pathological diagnosis, family histoy of malignant disease and virus types are studied.Results Serum AFP levels were elevated in 115 of 310 patients (37.1%). According to pathological diagnosis, the positive rate of AFP was the lowest in acute hepatitis (11.7%), the highest in chronic severe hepatitis (66.7%) the second highest in liver cirrhosis (57.5%), with chronic hepatitis in the middle (34.2%). If the diagnosis was based on the clinical manifestation, the highest positive rate was in “chronic severe hepatitis”, the lowest in “chronic hepatitis” with “acute hepatitis” in the middle. The positive rates of serum AFP in HBV patients was 35.3%, superinfected with HAV or with HEV was 62.8%, and with HCV was 27.3%. Only one in 6 patients with HCV infection and in none of simple HAV or HEV infection had positive AFP. In patients with a family history of liver cancer, the positive rate of AFP was higher than those without a family history (57.9% vs 38.2%; P=0.75).Conclusion Above data indicate that serum AFP positive is not uncommon in patient with hepatitis. When hepatitis patients were found to have elevated AFP level, it is highly possible to be due to HBV infection or HBV superinfected with HAV or HEV infection.