Correlation of ALT, HBV DNA, and serum markers of fibrosis with liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Objective To investigate the relationship between levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) , and serum fibrosis markers [ (hyaluronic acid (HA) , laminin (LN) , type Ⅲ procollagen (PⅢP) , and type IV collagen (CIV) ] and severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) .Methods A total of 218 CHB patients were included in this study.Serum levels of ALT were measured by standard biochemical assay.HBV DNA was measured by quantitative PCR.Fibrosis markers (HA, LN, PⅢP, and CIV) were measured by radioimmunoassay.The severity of liver fibrosis was determined by histopathological examination of liver biopsy.Results HBeAg (-) CHB patients had a lower level of HBV DNA and a higher level of fibrosis than HBeAg (+) CHB patients.Liver fibrosis in the HBeAg (+) CHB patients was negatively correlated with HBV DNA level (r=-0.251, P<0.001) , and the lowest level was found in patients with fibrosis stages ≥3.The severity of liver fibrosis in CHB patients was positively correlated with the serum levels of PⅢP, which continued to increase with severity during progressive development of liver fibrosis.Conclusion Levels of PⅢP may represent a useful serum marker of liver fibrosis severity.The relationship between HBV DNA and liver fibrosis requires further study for confirmation.