Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Davis, Gary L.
• Hoofnagle, Jay H.
• Waggoner, Jeanne G.

Titel

Spontaneous reactivation of chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Ist Teil von

• Gastroenterology (New York, N.Y. 1943), 1984-02, Vol.86 (2), p.230-235

Ort / Verlag

New York, NY: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

1984

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Studies on the natural history of chronic type B hepatitis have shown that loss of hepatitis B e antigen and seroconversion to antibody to hepatitis B e antigen are usually accompanied by remission of disease activity and improvement in serum aminotransferase levels. Twenty-five symptomatic patients with biopsy-documented chronic type B hepatitis were followed for 25 ± 2 mo (mean ± SEM) after disappearance of hepatitis B e antigen, hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid, and deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity from the serum. Twenty-four patients developed the antibody to hepatitis B e antigen. All 25 patients demonstrated a decrease in serum aminotransferase levels, and most became asymptomatic. However, during subsequent followup, 8 of the 25 patients (32%) exhibited reactivation of chronic type B hepatitis manifested by abrupt elevation of serum aminotransferase levels and reappearance of serum hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity, and, in 7 patients, hepatitis B e antigen. All 8 patients developed symptoms: 3 became icteric, 3 developed ascites, and 2 bled from esophageal varices. One of these patients died. Episodes of reactivation invariably occurred within 1 yr of loss of hepatitis B e antigen and lasted for up to 13 mo. These observations suggest that loss of hepatitis B e antigen and seroconversion to the antibody to hepatitis B e antigen do not necessarily imply permanent remission of chronic type B hepatitis, and subsequent spontaneous reactivation may be an important cause of progression of hepatic injury.