CLINICAL AND LABORATORY CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH HBEAG-NEGATIVE CHRONIC HEPATITIS B WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF VIRAL LOAD IN THE SERUM

Our study demonstrates the relationship between of viral load with clinical, biochemical and immunological (IL-2, INF-α, INF-γ) tests in patients with HBeAg-negative НBV, n=132 analyzed the relationship. It was found that 75% of patients with HBeAg-negative НBV had viral load more than 20,000 IU\ml (n=99), in other cases, the amount of virus in the blood serum was below 20.000 IU\ml (n=35). These patients comprised two comparison groups, in the control group the blood of healthy donors was studied, n=50. The study revealed that patients with a higher viral load such as clinical syndromes asthenovegetative and hepatomegaly, and changes in biochemical parameters (increased levels of total bilirubin, Alt, AST, GGT) were significantly more common (p<0.001) compared to both the comparison group and the control group. Cytokine status indicators (IL-2, INF-α, INF-γ) in initial examination of patients had significant differences depending on the initial level of viral load in the serum. When the amount of virus was over 20,000 IU\ml there was observed decrease in the concentration of cytokines, in HBV DNA below 20.000 IU\ml their level was close to reference values. The low level of cytokines IL-2, INF-α, INF-γ in patients with HBeAg-negative НBV and high viral load can be explained by the consequence of the negative impact on the immune system due to long-term persistence of immunological body reaction in HBV.

IL-2, INF-α, INF-γ, viral load, IL-2, INF-α, INF-γ