Relationship Between Serum HBV-RNA Levels, Sero-biochemical Indices, and Clinicopathological Parameters in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus

Abstract

Background: Studies have indicated that HBV RNA exhibits a distinct profile, and the plasma amino acid profile significantly correlates with the different stages of HBV infection. Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between HBV RNA and the plasma amino acid profile and the levels of HBeAg, HBsAg, HBV DNA levels, and other clinical indexes in diagnosing chronic HBV infection diseases. Methods: In this observational study, a total of 155 patients were included. They were categorized as Hepatitis B virus carriers, chronic Hepatitis B (CHB), Hepatitis B-related cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Following routine laboratory techniques, the DNA, RNA, serological indexes (HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb), biochemical indexes (ALT, AST), and the concentration of amino acids were determined from the serum. Results: Any relationship between different parameters considered was determined with the chi-square test, correlation, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. We observed that the HBV DNA and RNA levels were significantly higher in patients with chronic Hepatitis B compared to other groups (P < 0.01). The HBV RNA levels significantly correlated with methionine levels (P < 0.05) and not with other amino acids considered in this study. Further, the HBV DNA levels emerged as an independent risk factor for HBV RNA levels, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.840 (P < 0.01) when the levels of HBV RNA, HBV DNA, and methionine were combined to diagnose chronic Hepatitis B. Conclusions: Our study shows that the levels of HBV RNA are correlated with methionine metabolism levels, and this relationship can be used to diagnose and predict the efficacy of treatment for different stages of HepatitisHepatitis B virus infectious diseases.