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Correlation of hepatitis B surface antigen clearance with the route of hepatitis B virus infection
Author(s) -
TASSOPOULOS NICOLAOS C.,
PAPAEVANGELOU GEORGE J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1990.tb01625.x
Subject(s) - medicine , virology , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis , antigen , hepatitis a virus , virus , hepatitis virus , hepatitis b , immunology
We studied 563 consecutive adults with acute hepatitis B hospitalized from May 1981 to May 1983 and their habitual heterosexual partners. Radio‐immunoassays for the detection of serological markers of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and enzyme‐immunoassay for the detection of IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (IgM anti‐HBc) were used. Of the 563 patients, 503 (89.7%) were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and 60 (10.7%) were HBsAg negative on admission. Absence of HBsAg on admission was observed significantly more frequently in patients infected possibly by the heterosexual route than in the remaining patients (23.3% versus 6.6%; P < 0.001). This finding was independent of sex. These data show that the route of HBV infection rather than the sex appears to have a more important role in the rapid clearance of HBsAg.