HBV serum markers of 49164 patients and their relationships to HBV genotype in Fujian province of China

BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China. The aim of this article is to reveal the HBV prevalence and its outcome in southern China by analyzing the HBV serum markers and their relationship to HBV genotype. METHODS: HBV serum markers, HBV-DNA and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of 49,164 patients were detected in Fujian Province of China, and HBV genotyping was conducted using melting curve method. RESULTS: 23.46% patients (11,535/49,164) were found HBsAg-positive and the concentration of ALT and HBV-DNA were positively correlated with HBsAg. The concentration of ALT and HBV-DNA markedly decreased when HBeAg turned negative or HBsAg concentration dropped to undetectable. The concentration of HBsAg and HBV-DNA were higher in genotype C than in genotype B and mixed genotype B/C, and the concentration of ALT in genotype C and B was higher than in mixed genotype B/C. CONCLUSIONS: The positive rate of HBsAg of Fujian hospitalized patients is higher than in the previous reports. The concentration of HBsAg and HBV-DNA of genotype B is different from that of genotype C, and the concentration of HBsAg could be valuable in predicting the curative efficacy in HBV-infected patients.