Study of HBV markers and HLA typing in chronic liver diseases [CLD]

ABSTRACT

Ninety patients with chronic liver disease [CLD] were classified into 5 groups according to histopathological picture of their liver biopsies. The results showed pure bilharzial periportal fibrosis [BPPF] in 18.5% of cases, post-necrotic cirrhosis [PNC] in 38%, mixed [schistosomiasis plus histological features of postviral CLD] in 29%, non-specific hepatitis [NSH] in 7.2% and hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] in 6.18%. The incidence of HBsAg and HBcAb were significantly increased in the mixed and PNC groups and HBsAg only in HCC group. Meanwhile, 18.1% of cases showed tissue positivity for HBsAg with negative serum samples. HLA-A2, B5 and B14 were present in BPPF at a high significant level. A positive correlation was also found between HLA-A9, A10 and both PNC and mixed cases and between HLA B27, B35 and long term carriage of HBsAg. It appears, therefore, that chronic hepatitis B infection is responsible for more severe and serious liver disease than schistosomiasis per se. The HLA findings may also suggest that the complications of schistosomiasis and the predisposition to the chronic HBV infection and/or carrier state may be genetically determined