Infrequent occurrence of silent HBV infection among Indian patients with chronic liver disease.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of silent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). METHODS: Plasma samples from 71 CLD patients including 9 HBsAg-positive individuals were tested for HBV DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR), and for HBV serum markers, i.e., anti-HBc antibody, HBeAg and anti-HBe antibody. The individuals were also tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and anti-HCV antibody. RESULTS: Among 62 HBsAg-negative patients, silent HBV infection was seen in only two (3.2%). Silent HBV infection was not found in any of the 26 patients who had evidence of HCV infection. One HBsAg-positive patient was positive for anti-HCV in the absence of HCV RNA. CONCLUSIONS: There is a low rate of silent HBV infection among patients with CLD in India, where HBV is moderately endemic. Silent HBV infection is not associated with HCV-related CLD, which is in contrast to reports from other HBV-endemic areas in Asia.