Comparison of serum indexes and liver pathology of 537 patients with HBeAg positive-and HBeAg negative-chronic hepatitis B

Objective To investigate the serum indexes and liver pathology of HBeAg positive and negative patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods Total of 537 patients with CHB were enrolled. The levels of ALT, HBV DNA loads, hepatic histological inflammation grades, fibrosis stages and HBcAg subcellular distribution of the two groups were compared, respectively. Results There were 321 cases with HBeAg positive and 216 cases with HBeAg negative. There was no significant difference of the levels of ALT (Z= 1.391,P=0.164) and hepatic histological inflammation grades (χ2= 7.1189, P= 0.0682) between the two groups. Compared with the HBeAg negative group, patients in HBeAg positive group had significantly higher serum HBV DNA levels (Z= 12.893, P 0.001). But the fibrosis stages of HBeAg negative was significantly advanced than that of HBeAg positive group (χ2= 42.871, P 0.0001). The predominant forms of HBcAg subcellular distribution were nuclei type and mixed type in patients with HBeAg positive. However, HBcAg was negative in most HBeAg negative patients (χ2= 119.3522, P 0.0001). Conclusions The hepatic histological inflammation was similar between HBeAg positive and negative patients. With lower HBV DNA levels and severer fibrosis, HBeAg negative CHB patients should accept antiviral therapy more urgently and reasonably.