Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jun;22(2):73-6.
doi: 10.3904/kjim.2007.22.2.73.

Clinical outcomes of delayed clearance of serum HBsAG in patients with chronic HBV infection

Soon Woo Nam  1 , Jeong Jo Jung, Si Hyun Bae, Jong Young Choi, Seung Kew Yoon, Se Hyun Cho, Joon Yeol Han, Nam Ik Han, Jin Mo Yang, Young Suk Lee
Affiliations

Clinical outcomes of delayed clearance of serum HBsAG in patients with chronic HBV infection

Soon Woo Nam et al. Korean J Intern Med. 2007 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Spontaneous delayed clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients with chronic HBV infection is a rare event. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of delayed clearance of serum HBsAg in chronic HBV infection and to determine the characteristics and clinical outcomes of HBsAg delayed clearance in Korean patients.

Methods: From April 1981 to June 2003, 4,061 patients who were positive for HBsAg were evaluated retrospectively. The following assessments were undertaken in 47 patients who had spontaneous delayed clearance: liver biochemistry, viral markers, alpha-fetoprotein levels, and radiographic examinations including ultrasonography every three to six months for 6-264 months (median 87.9 months).

Results: Twenty-four of 47 patients were asymptomatic carriers. The others included seven patients with chronic hepatitis, seven with liver cirrhosis and nine with hepatocellular carcinoma. The estimated annual incidence of HBsAg seroclearance was 0.4%. The time span from positive HBsAg to HBsAg seroclearance in the AHC, CH, LC, and HCC was 62.9, 141, 63, and 95.3 months during follow up. Twenty-four of 24 AHC remained normal, 5 of 7 CH remained as CH and 2 patients remained normal, 1 of 7 with LC developed HCC and 6 of the LC remained as LC, and 4 of 9 HCC patients died.

Conclusion: The clinical course following delayed clearance of HBsAg had diverse outcomes from AHC to HCC. Therefore, these patients require close follow up for the possible development of hepatocellular carcinoma following HBsAg clearance.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Liaw YF, Tai DI, Chu CM, Chen TJ. The development of cirrhosis in patients with chronic type B hepatitis: a prospective study. Hepatology. 1988;8:493–496. - PubMed
    1. Liaw YF. Natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. In: Liaw YF, editor. Chronic hepatitis. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1986. pp. 9–18.
    1. de Frachis R, Meucci G, Vecchi M, Tatarella M, Colombo M, Del Ninno E, Rumi MG, Donato MF, Ronchi G. The natural history of asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen carriers. Ann Intern Med. 1993;118:191–194. - PubMed
    1. Viola LA, Barrison IG, Coleman JC, Paradinas FJ, Fluker JL, Evans BA, Murray-Lyon IM. Natural history of liver disease in chronic hepatitis B surface antigen carriers. Lancet. 1981;2:1156–1159. - PubMed
    1. Yu MW, Hsu FC, Sheen IS, Chu CM, Lin DY, Chen CJ, Liaw YF. Prospective study of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis in asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;145:1039–1047. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources