Comparison of HBV DNA Level in End Stage Liver Disease with Chronic Healthy Patients

Background and Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious public health problem globally. Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are important elements of a severity assessment for treatment decisions in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between HBV DNA level and level of fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients referred to Namazi teaching hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Science. Materials and Methods: From March 2013 to September 2016, a total of 2448 patients with HBV infection including chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis referred to Namazi teaching hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Science, were recruited and blood samples (5 ml) collected in EDTA-coated tubes.DNA extraction. DNA was extracted from 200μl of whole blood samples using the QIAamp DNA Blood Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), according to the manufacturer’s Blood Protocol. During the extraction process, negative and positive controls were included between every 20 clinical samples. Amplification was determined using by qPCRBIO Probe MIX Hi-ROX-based real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR- PCR Bio systems) using Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems Step One Plus) following a two-step protocol as follows: 95 °C for 2 min; followed by 45 cycles of 5 s at 95 °C, 20 s at 60 °C. Results: The 2448 blood samples were divided into several groups based on the diagnostic criteria. Age, sex, HBV DNA, cirrhosis, transplant and treatment were compared among these groups. The results showed no significant difference in sex among thegroups, but the differences in other clinical indicators among the seven groups were significant. Also, in this study we showed that serum HBV DNA level was correlated with mild fibrosis, moderate to severe fibrosis and cirrhosis. Conclusion: The effect of HBV DNA level on liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is a research hotspot.The study results suggest that the HBV DNA level decreased with the aggravation of fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver tissues. HBV DNA level was a good index for evaluating the degree offibrosis and cirrhosis of patients with HBV-related liver diseases, especially HBeAg-positive patients.