Histopathological features of liver and its relation to serum transaminase levels in 91 cases of anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B

Abstract

For assessing the histopathological features and its relation to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B in Babol, north of Iran, liver biopsy samples of 91 anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with raised ALT were scored according to histological hepatitis activity index (HAI) from March 2000 to July 2003. Seventy-seven males and 14 females with a mean age of 32.24 (+/-11.92) years were studied. Mean ALT and AST levels were 112.5 (+/-98.9) and 69.57 (+/-60.6) IU/l, respectively. Minimal, mild, moderate and severe chronic hepatitis were seen in 35 (38.5%), 49 (53.8%), seven (7.7%) and 0 cases, respectively. There was not any significant difference between HAI and ALT levels of < 60, between 60-79 and > or = 80 IU/l (p = 0.299), but with regard to AST levels, this difference was significant (p = 0.005). This study showed that more than 90% of our cases are in the early stages of the liver disease. Although both serum ALT and AST levels are associated with the activity of hepatitis in HBV carriers, the AST is a better laboratory screening test for finding the severity of liver injury than ALT.

Relationship Between Basic Laboratory Results and Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

“…In liver diseases such as in viral hepatitis, the liver cells spill the enzymes into the blood, raising the enzyme levels in the blood and signaling that the liver was damaged (8). In a study which was investigated relationship between histopathological features of liver and serum transaminase levels, AST was found a better laboratory screening test for finding the severity of liver injury than ALT in HBeAgnegative CHB patients (9). Similarly, our results showed that AST levels are more useful in showing liver damage than ALT.…”

Clinical profile and parameters of patients monoinfected with HBV and infected with HDV in Western Amazon

“…This association between viral load and high transaminase values has already been observed in previous studies; A study has already reported the relationship between HBV-DNA values and high ALT levels in 110 chronic HBeAg-negative individuals, however the same was not observed for AST [ 22 ]. An evaluation of 91 patients observed a greater sensitivity of AST for the detection of liver damage, which may suggest that AST dosage would be more indicated as a screening test for evaluation in these cases [ 23 ]. In a study by researchers in China with 11,738 treatment-naïve adult patients, fifty-five percent of patients with HBV-DNA ≥20,000 IU/mL had abnormal ALT and/or AST values, which was significantly higher than in patients with HBV-DNA levels below 20,000 IU/mL [ 22 ].…”