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  • Title: Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen as a screening test for occult hepatitis B virus infection in Egyptian chronic hepatitis C patients.
    Author: El-Sherif A, Abou-Shady M, Abou-Zeid H, Elwassief A, Elbahrawy A, Ueda Y, Chiba T, Hosney AM.
    Journal: J Gastroenterol; 2009; 44(4):359-64. PubMed ID: 19271112.
    Abstract:
    PURPOSE: The presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in liver tissue and/or in serum in the absence of detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is called occult HBV infection. This pattern was identified in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the role of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) as a screening test for occult HBV infection in Egyptian chronic HCV patients. METHODS: One hundred chronic HCV patients negative for HBsAg were included and subdivided into two groups according to anti-HBc-IgG seroreactivity. Group A included 71 patients positive for anti-HBc (53 men and 18 women, mean age +/- SD 48.8 +/- 9.6 years), and group B included 29 patients negative for anti-HBc (18 men and 11 women, mean age +/- SD 46.6 +/- 11.7 years). All patients were subjected to full clinical assessment, routine laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography and quantification of HBV-DNA by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Chronic HCV patients positive for anti-HBc have more severe liver disease compared with anti-HBc negative patients. Although HBV-DNA in the serum was detected in 22.5% of anti-HBc-positive chronic HCV patients, it was not detected in any of anti-HBc-negative chronic HCV patients. There was no significant difference in any of the clinical and laboratory data tested between anti-HBc-positive patients with and without HBV-DNA in the serum. CONCLUSION: A significant number of patients with anti-HBc had detectable levels of HBV-DNA in the serum. Egyptian chronic HCV patients have a high prevalence of occult HBV infection.
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