A Study on The Change of HBsAg and Anti-HBs Positivities for A Recent 15 Year Period in Korea / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The HBsAg positivity in the normal Korean population has been reported as 2-10%. It has been decreasing since hepatitis B vaccine was introduced to routine vaccination regimens in 1992. Reports on the changes of anti-HBs over the years are hard to find since the discrepancies in sensitivities of test methods used by different researchers did not allow equivalent comparisons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of HBsAg and anti-HBs posivities for a recent 15 year period. METHODS: From 1998 to 2000, 4771 subjects in Chonnam province were included in this study. Serum HBsAg and anti-HBs were detected by reversed passive hemagglutination (RPHA) and passive hemagglutination (PHA) respectively. The changes in the HBsAg and anti-HBs positivity by the same test methods for the period were analyzed by comparing our results with those of 12 other previous reports. RESULTS: The positivities of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 5.3% and 47.5%. The positivity of HBsAg was significantly higher in males, while that of anti-HBs was significantly lower in males (p40) was significantly higher statistically (p<0.01). The positivity of HBsAg decreased with years (r=-0.845, p<0.01), while that of anti-HBs increased with years (r=0.616, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The positivity of HBsAg has significantly decreased and that of anti-HBs has increased with years for the period under study.

Distribution of HBV Genotypes in Patients With Chronic HBV Infection in Korea / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic HBV infection is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including asymptomatic carrier state, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Genotypically, HBV genomes have been classified into seven groups, designated A to G. Several studies have suggested recently that HBV genotypic differences influence the severity of liver disease and clinical outcomes. The distribution of HBV genotypes in Korea and its clinical relevance are poorly understood. We investigated the prevalence of HBV genotypes in Korea and the association between the distinct genotypes and the severity of liver disease. METHODS: A total of 214 HBV-DNA positive serum samples, were used for the genotyping. All patients were HBV-bDNA positive chronic HBsAg carriers. 199 patients were histologically verified with liver cirrhosis (6), chronic hepatitis (192) and fatty liver (1). The other patients were clinically diagnosed with liver cirrhosis (13) or hepatocellular carcinoma (2). HBV genotype was determined by PCR using type-specific primers. RESULTS: Genotyping was possible in all patients. Out of 214 patients, 213 (99.5%) were HBV genotype C. Only one (0.5%) was genotype A. The patient with genotype A had minimal hepatitis as diagnosed by liver biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that almost all chronic HBV infections are genotype C in Korea. HBV genotypic difference therefore does not influence the clinical outcome of HBV infection in Korea. Because genotype C may be associated with more severe liver disease, the predominance of genotype C in Korea may result in more severe outcomes than in other countries where other genotypes are predominant.

The Hepatitis B Carrier Rate in Siblings of Patients with HBV-associated Chronic Liver Disease / 대한간학회지

Backgrounds/Aims: This study aimed to estimate the seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with emphasis on the transmission of HBV infection between mothers and their children. METHODS: For 452 patients with HBV associated chronic liver disease, and 1,098 of their offspring, who visited Korea University Kuro Hospital from February, 2000 to February, 2001, HBsAg was tested by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Among siblings whose mothers were HBsAg-positive, the overall prevalence rate of HBV infection was 44.9% (140/312) and decreased with decreasing age (54.7% in > or =20 years old age group, 33.3% in 10-19 years old age group, 7.6% in <10 years old age group). The estimated proportion of perinatal infection out of modes of HBV transmissions in the general population was 38% in <10 years and 63.4% in 10-19 years. CONCLUSION: The present hepatitis B vaccination strategies -especially against perinatal infection- of Korea have performed to their utmost. More effective methods for the prevention of HBV transmission are now needed.