— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
Researchers predict half of people infected with genotype C of the
hepatitis B virus (HBV) will clear the hepatitis B surface antigen
(HBsAg) over their lifetimes. This strain of HBV is found primarily in
Asia and among Asian-Americans. Clearing HBsAg reduces a patient's risk
of liver damage and cancer.
In this study, researchers followed 2,121
patients between the ages of 28 and 75 who tested negative for the
hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg). Based on the 338 patients who cleared
HBsAg over the course of the study, researchers predicted that 56.4% of
patients with genotype C would lose HBsAg over their lifetimes,
compared to patients with genotype B, who had a 45.7% lifetime
clearance rate.
In addition to having genotype C, being male,
having elevated ALT levels and lower viral load and HBsAg levels helped
increase the patients' odds of clearing HBsAg.
The researchers, reporting in the March 2015 journal of Alimentary, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, wrote, "We found that patients with genotype C infection cleared HBsAg earlier than genotype B (age 49 vs. age 55)."
Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/
apt.13170/full
http://www.hbvadvocate.org/news/HBJ12.4.htmLabels: Genotype C, surface antigen (HBsAg)