Relationships between HBeAg status of patients with chronic hepatitis B and changes in serum TNF-α, viral load and severity of morphological changes in the liver according to non-invasive tests

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14739/2310-1237.2021.1.228933

Keywords:

chronic hepatitis B, HBeAg, cytokines, liver fibrosis

Abstract

Aim – to investigate the relationship between HBeAg status of patients with chronic hepatitis B and the content of TNF-α in the serum, the level of viral load and the severity of morphological changes in the liver according to non-invasive tests.

Material and methods. 70 patients with CHB were examined. Noninvasive methods were used to determine the severity of morphological changes in the liver. The content of HBV-DNA in the blood was determined by PCR, HBeAg, anti-HBe, TNF-α by ELISA. Statistical processing was performed in Statistica 13 for Windows (StatSoft Inc., No. JPZ804I382130ARCN10-J).

Results. HBeAg-negative patients (78.6 %) with anti-HBe (89.1 %) predominate among patients with CHB. Lower frequency of seroconversion in patients with stages F 2–4, compared with patients with stages F 0-1 (85.7 % vs. 100 %, P < 0.05).

The highest level of HBV-DNA in the blood was in HBeAg-positive patients, compared with HBeAg-negative with stages F 0–1 (P < 0.05), of whom 83.3 % of patients had HBV-DNA >20000 IU/ml (83.3 % vs. 17.7 %). Viral load in HBeAg-positive patients with activity A 0–1 was the highest (P < 0.05), namely 4 times more often HBV-DNA was >20000 IU/ml, compared with HBeAg-negative (P < 0.05) A 0–1.

The content of TNF-α in the serum of patients with CHB was higher than in healthy individuals (P < 0.05). The highest content of TNF-α in the blood in HBeAg-positive patients with F 2–4, compared with HBeAg-negative with F 2–4 (P < 0.05). The severity of liver fibrosis correlated with the level of TNF-α (r = 0.31, P < 0.05).

Conclusions. HBeAg-negative (78.6 %) predominate among patients with CHB. In the presence of HBeAg-positive patients F 0–1 viral load is highest (P < 0.05). HBeAg-negative patients are 2.7 times more likely (P < 0.05) to have a viral load of HBV-DNA >20000 IU/ml in the presence of A 2–3 than in A 0–1. The highest content of TNF-α is in the serum of HBeAg-positive patients with F 2–4, compared with HBeAg-negative patients and the corresponding liver fibrosis (P < 0.05).

Author Biographies

A. B. Khelemendyk, Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, Ukraine

Assistant of the Department of Infectious Diseases

O. V. Riabokon, Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, Ukraine

MD, PhD, DSc, Professor, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases

Yu. Yu. Riabokon, Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, Ukraine

MD, PhD, DSc, Professor of the Department of Children Infectious Diseases

K. V. Kalashnyk, Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, Ukraine

Assistant of the Department of Infectious Diseases

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Published

2021-05-18

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1.
Khelemendyk AB, Riabokon OV, Riabokon YY, Kalashnyk KV. Relationships between HBeAg status of patients with chronic hepatitis B and changes in serum TNF-α, viral load and severity of morphological changes in the liver according to non-invasive tests. Pathologia [Internet]. 2021May18 [cited 2024Dec.28];18(1):80-5. Available from: http://pat.zsmu.edu.ua/article/view/228933

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