The comparison of clinical characteristics and HBeAg status in HBV liver cirrhosis patients with different HBV DNA levels

Objective To study the clinical characteristics and HBeAg status in HBV liver cirrhosis patients with different HBV DNA levels, Method Three hundred and thirty-seven patients with liver cirrhosis caused by chronic HBV infection were investigated. HBV DNA levels were detected by PCR, and HBV markers were detected by MEIA. The ratio of patients with HBeAg positive or negative in groups with different HBV DNA levels was compared, and the clinical characteristics in patients with different HBV DNA levels and HBeAg status were evaluated. Results The positive ratio of HBV DNA and HBeAg were 80.4% (271/337) and 31.5% (106/337). The negative ratio of HBeAg was 68.5% (231/337). The proportion of patients with Child-Pugh grade A, B or C and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in different groups of HBV DNA levels and in different HBeAg status showed no significant difference, but the ratio of HCC in patients with HBV DNA 3-4 lg copies/ml was higher than that in patients with HBV DNA <3 lg copies/ml (P=0.014) and ≥7 lg eopies/ml (P =0.009). No significant difference of HBV DNA levels was found in different age groups, but the negative ratio of HBeAg increased with the increasing of the age. Conclusions More than 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis caused by chronic HBV infection axe HBV DNA positive, and 2/3 of them are HBeAg negative. Suppressing HBV replication may improve the prognosis of HBV related cirrhosis and HCC. Key words: Hepatitis B,chronie;  Liver cirrhosis;  Hepatitis B e antigens;  Hepatitis B virusDNA