Long-term follow-up study of asymptomatic hbsag-positive voluntary blood donors in austria: A clinical and histologic evaluation of 242 cases
✍ Scribed by Brigitte Dragosics; Peter Ferenci; Eva Hitchman; Helmut Denk
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 529 KB
- Volume
- 7
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0270-9139
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Two hundred forty-two voluntary blood donors, referred after detection of HBsAg positivity, underwent clinical evaluation and liver biopsy and were prospec- tively followed for an average of 3.5 years. At initial testing, 66% of HBsAg carriers had normal laboratory findings; during follow-up, 26% of these carriers developed abnormal test results, at least transiently. Liver histology was normal in 31.4%, revealed nonaggressive liver disease in 63.6% and chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis in 5%, only. All except one case of chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis were associated with abnormal blood biochemical tests. Sequential liver biopsies obtained in 56 HBsAg carriers after a minimal interval of 4 years showed mitigation of inflammatory changes in 6.4% and developing chronic active hepatitis in three cases (5.4%). One carrier died of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.
Upon follow-up, HBsAg persisted in 98%. Anti-HBe was found in 90% of all carriers already at the initial testing. HBeAg positivity (7.6%) was associated with chronic active hepatitis as well as nonaggressive liver disease; clearance of HBeAg occurred in 40% after 2 to 8 years. Because of the subclinical progression of liver