TITLE:
High Frequency of HBeAg-Negative Cases in Naive HBsAg-Positive Subjects with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Managed in the Yaoundé Hepatitis Therapeutic Committee: A Cross Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Firmin Ankouane, Mathurin Kowo, Oudou Njoya, Elie Claude Ndjitoyap Ndam
KEYWORDS:
Hepatitis B, Hepatitis B e Antigens, Viral Load, Liver Cirrhosis, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.5 No.2,
May
12,
2015
ABSTRACT: The aim was to describe the epidemiology of the chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection within Yaoundé Hepatitis Therapeutic Committee. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study from June 2004 to May 2012. We consecutively collected epidemiological data (gender, age, alanine aminotransferase-ALT, HBe-antigen-HBeAg, hepatitis B viral load-HBV-DNA and cirrhosis evaluation) from naive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients with chronic HBV infection. Chronic HBV infection is defined by the persistence of HBsAg for at least six months. The level of serum HBV-DNA was determined by the COBAS-AmpliPrep Technical/COBAS-TaqMan HBV® 2.0 (Roche). Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software (IBM Corporation, USA). Results: Of the 315 HBsAg-positive patients consulted, 74.6% were male; mean (SD) age 35.04 (10.25) years. Nearly 92% were HBeAg-negative. The serum ALT level was normal in 63.2%; HBV-DNA was detected in 81.0% and was ≤2000 IU/mL in 65.9%. Liver biopsy was performed in 145 (46.03%); 10 (6.9%) had cirrhosis. HBeAg-negative patients were older than HBeAg-positive (35.3 vs. 31.9 years; p = 0.006). The serum ALT level was high in 84.0% HBeAg-positive patients and in 32.8% HBeAg-negative (p