
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is endemic throughout the world. The infection is spread primarily through percutaneous contact with infected blood products (eg, blood transfusion, sharing of needles by intravenous drug addicts). The virus is also found in various human body fluids, and it is known to be spread through oral and genital contacts. HBV can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery through contact with blood and vaginal secretions, but it is not commonly transmitted transplacentally.
Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is the first serologic marker appearing in the serum at 6 to 16 weeks following exposure to HBV. In acute infection, HBsAg usually disappears in 1 to 2 months after the onset of symptoms. Persistence of HBsAg for more than 6 months in duration indicates development of either a chronic carrier state or chronic HBV infection.
In total, 180 HBeAg-positive CHB patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study (72 in the IT group, 72 in the IC-Mild group, and 36 in the ACLF group). A predominance of males (131/180, 72.8%) was observed in the study population. The patient characteristics, including age, gender, serum HBV DNA levels, serum HBsAg levels, ALT, TB, INR, and platelets, are described in detail in Table Table1.1. All these parameters were significantly different among the IT, IC-Mild, and ACLF groups.