Occult hepatitis B virus infection in patients with chronic liver disease due to hepatitis C virus and hepatocellular carcinoma in Brazil
BACKGROUND: The prevalence and consequences of occult HBV infection in patients with chronic liver disease by HCV remain unknown. AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence of occult HBV infection in a population of HCV-infected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: The serum samples were tested for HBV DNA by nested PCR and liver tissue analysis was carried out using the immunohistochemical technique of 66 HBsAg-negative patients: 26 patients with chronic hepatitis by HCV (group 1), 20 with hepatocellular carcinoma related to chronic infection by HCV (group 2) and 20 with negative viral markers for hepatitis B and C (control group). RESULTS: Occult HBV infection was diagnosed in the liver tissue of 9/46 (19.5%) HCV-infected patients. Prevalence of occult B infection was evaluated in the HCV-infected patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma, and there were seven (77.7%) of whom from group 2, conferring a 35% prevalence of this group. No serum sample was positive for HBV DNA in the three groups. CONCLUSION: Occult infection B is frequently detected in liver tissue of HCV-infected patients, especially in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. However large studies are needed to confirm that co-infection could determine a worse progress of chronic liver disease in this population.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos e Pesquisas de Gastroenterologia e Outras Especialidades - IBEPEGE.
2007
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| Online Access: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-28032007000100013 |
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