CONTEXT The clinical outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is variable, ranging from spontaneous recovery to an inactive carrier state, chronic hepatitis, occult HBV infection, liver cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION This variable pattern and clinical outcomes of the infection were mainly determined by virological and host genetic factors. Since the most of h...

INTRODUCTION Persistence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome in individuals negative for the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) reflects occult infection. The aim of this study was to identify occult HBV infection among hemodialysis patients at 5 clinics in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, between August 2006 and August 2007. METHODS Serum samples underwent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to...

In this issue of the Iranian journal of Kidney Diseases, the case report of “Successful Pregnancy in a Kidney Transplant Recipient With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection” by Kashif and colleagues1 confronts us to different challenging topics in nephrology. First, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been discovered after kidney transplantation with a negative report of hepatitis B surface an...

1. Liaw YF, Sheen IS, Chen TJ, Chu CM, Pao CC. Incidence determinants and significance of delayed clearance of serum HBsAg in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a prospective study. Hepatology 1991;13:627-31. 2. Agarwal N, Naik S, Aggarwal R, Singh H, Somani SK, Kini D, et al. Occult hepatitis B virus infection as a cause of cirrhosis of liver in a region with intermediate endemicity. Indian ...

INTRODUCTION Anti-hepatitis B core antibody (Anti-HBc) alone is defined as the presence of anti-HBc in the absence of HBsAg and anti-HBs. The significance of this serological pattern as a predicting factor for occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the significance of anti-HBc alone in predicting occult HBV infection in high-risk and low-ris...

Occult HBV infection (OBI), defined by the presence of HBV DNA in absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), is a significant concern in the HIV-infected population. Of 441 HIV+/HBsAg- patients analyzed, the overall prevalence of OBI was 6.3% (28/441). OBI was identified in 21 anti-HBc positives (17.8%), as well as among those who lacked any HBV-specific serological markers (2.2%). Compari...

BACKGROUND Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) is frequently reported in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. An association between OBI and more liver damage, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and reduced response to interferon therapy in patients with HCV infection is suggested. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of occult HBV,...

The article “efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine in those who lost hepatitis B surface antigen during follow-up” published recently in Hepatitis Monthly (1), described the efficacy of HBV vaccine in chronic HBV patients who had been found negative for HBsAg and HBV DNA in sera. The manuscript was highlighted by an Editorial in the same issue (2). The manuscript dealt with a group of chronic HBV pat...

conclusions based on our results, it seems that there were no cases of obi among chronic hcv-infected patients with thalassemia and bleeding disorders, particularly hemophilia. however, to improve decisions concerning obi screening, especially in transfusion centers, and concerning the use of comprehensive screening methods, more original studies with more precise laboratory techniques and larg...