HBV DNA Viral Load and Chronic Hepatitis Infection in Different Stages

The significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum titers has been examined in several clinical situations. Although most studies addressing this question have shown a correlation between virus serum titer and severity of liver damage, some others have failed to show any correlation between them. The aim of the present study was to determine any correlation between HBV viral load and the severity of liver disease.200 patients, including inactive carriers (n=104), patients with chronic active hepatitis (n=74: 55 HBeAg negative and 19 HBeAg positive) and with cirrhosis (n=22) entered the study. Quantitative serum HBV RNA assay was carried out using the PCR Amplicore technique. The mean age of the patients was 37 ± 12 years. A significant correlation was observed between HBV DNA viral load and ALT in cirrhotic patients (p=0.035, r=0.451). No correlation was observed between serum HBV DNA viral load and the histopathological score or grade, ALT or AST level in other CLD types (p>0.05). Our results indicate that the severity of liver disease is independent of serum levels of hepatitis B virus.The correlation between serum titers of hepatitis B virus and severity of liver disease clearly require further investigation.