The Long-term Evolution of Chronic Hepatitis B Acquired in Childhood
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Roberta M. Manzat Saplacan1, Petru A. Mircea1, Simona D. Valean1, Nicolae Miu2, Lucia Burac2, Cornel Valean3, Mircea Nanulescu3
1) 1st Medical Clinic;
2) 2nd Pediatric Clinic;
3) 3rd Pediatric Clinic; University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hatieganu" Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the long-term evolution of chronic hepatitis B acquired in childhood.
Methods: The study was carried out in 2007 - 2008 on a group of 77 adult patients who were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B in childhood. The actual assessment included epidemiological, clinical, biological and virological data, ultrasound examination in all patients and liver histology in 3 patients.
Results: From the 77 patients, 69 were HBeAg positive and the other 8 patients were anti-HBe positive when the diagnosis was made in their childhood. Thirty-seven patients from the HBeAg positive group and 2 patients from the anti-HBe group had been treated in childhood with IFN-α and the other 38 patients remained untreated (32 patients with HBeAg positive and 6 patients anti-HBe positive). Overall, 78.26% seroconverted to anti-HBe (87.50% untreated and 70.27% of patients treated with IFN). After a median follow-up period of 13 years, 36 patients from the HBeAg positive group (48.65% of treated patients and 56.25% of untreated ones) became inactive carriers. Seroconversion to anti-HBs, in the HBeAg positive group, occurred in 10.14% of cases (8.1% in treated patients) without statistical significance. Three patients from the whole group developed cirrhosis but none developed hepatocellular carcinoma.
Conclusion: The long-term outcome in our patients with CHB acquired in childhood did not differ between treated and untreated patients.
Key words
Chronic hepatitis B - children - viral load - HBe seroconversion - interferon therapy.
