Hepatitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hepatitis, including details on hepatitis a, b, c, causes, symptoms.

Influence of genotypes and precore mutations on fulminant or chronic outcome of acute hepatitis B virus infection.

Ozasa A, Tanaka Y, Orito E, Sugiyama M, Kang JH, Hige S, Kuramitsu T, Suzuki K, Tanaka E, Okada S, Tokita H, Asahina Y, Inoue K, Kakumu S, Okanoue T, Murawaki Y, Hino K, Onji M, Yatsuhashi H, Sakugawa H, Miyakawa Y, Ueda R, Mizokami M

Department of Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.

The outcome of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is variable, influenced by host and viral factors. From 1982 through 2004, 301 patients with acute HBV infection entered a multi-center cross-sectional study in Japan. Patients with fulminant hepatitis (n = 40) were older (44.7 +/- 16.3 vs. 36.0 +/- 14.3 years, P < .0017), less predominantly male (43% vs. 71%, P = .0005), less positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (23% vs. 60%, P < .0001), less infected with subgenotype Ae (0% vs. 13%, P < .05), and more frequently with Bj (30% vs. 4%, P < .0001) than those with acute self-limited hepatitis (n = 261). Precore (G1896A) and core-promoter (A1762T/G1764A) mutations were more frequent in patients with fulminant than acute self-limited hepatitis (53% vs. 9% and 50% vs. 17%, P < .0001 for both). HBV infection persisted in only three (1%) patients, and they represented 2 of the 23 infected with Ae and 1 of the 187 with the other subgenotypes (9% vs. 0.5%, P = .032); none of them received antiviral therapy. In multivariate analysis, age 34 years or older, Bj, HBeAg-negative, total bilirubin 10.0 mg/dL or greater, and G1896A mutation were independently associated with the fulminant outcome. In in vitro transfection experiments, the replication of Bj clone was markedly enhanced by introducing either G1896A or A1762T/G1764A mutation. In conclusion, persistence of HBV was rare (1%) and associated with Ae, whereas fulminant hepatitis was frequent (13%) and associated with Bj and lack of HBeAg as well as high replication due to precore mutation in patients with acute HBV infection.

Published 2 August 2006 in Hepatology, 44(2): 326-34.
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