Correlations Among Serum Hepatitis B Surface Antigen and Hepatitis B e Antigen Titers and Viral Load in Chinese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Background: This study aimed to provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBeAg, and serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), predominantly genotypes B and C. Methods: HBV serological markers, HBsAg titer, HBeAg titer, and HBV DNA were detected and genotyped in 129 Chinese patients with CHB. Results: HBeAg-positive CHB patients were younger, had higher serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, and HBV DNA levels and were more likely to be infected with HBV genotype C. The median HBsAg titer was significantly higher in HBeAg-positive compared with HBeAg-negative CHB patients (3.73 versus 2.93; p < 0.01), and the median HBsAg titer was significantly higher in patients with genotype C. The correlation between HBsAg titer and HBV DNA was stronger in HBeAg-positive CHB patients (r = 0.56; p < 0.01). HBeAg titer was positively correlated with serum HBsAg titer (r = 0.77; p < 0.01) and serum HBV DNA (r = 0.72; p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study detected key differences in HBsAg expression between HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative CHB patients, which may have practical implications for the use of quantitative serological clinical biomarkers.