Distribution and factors associated with serum HBV pregenomic RNA levels in Chinese chronic hepatitis B patients

Correlations between serum hepatitus B virus (HBV) pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), hepatitus B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitus B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) levels, and influencing factors of serum HBV pgRNA levels in Chinese chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients are rarely reported. This was a retrospective cohort study consisting of 204 outpatients with CHB. Serum levels of HBV pgRNA, HBsAg, and HBcrAg were quantitative measured in frozen blood samples. The linear regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine associated factors of serum HBV pgRNA levels. In this cohort, the median serum HBV pgRNA level was 4.12 log10 copies/ml and 33.33% (68/204) of them had serum HBV pgRNA under low limit of detection (LLD) (<500 copies/ml); and the percentage of patients with serum HBV pgRNA under LLD in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients was significantly lower than that in HBeAg-negative patients (15.75% [23/46] vs. 77.59% [45/58],p < .001). Overall, serum HBV pgRNA strongly correlated with HBcrAg (r = 0.760,p < .001), and moderately correlated with HBV DNA (r = 0.663,p < .001) and HBsAg (r = 0.670,p < .001). As compared with HBsAg and HBV DNA, only HBcrAg showed stable correlation with serum HBV pgRNA both in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients. Serum HBV pgRNA level differed between HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients; and it had better and more stable correlation with serum HBcrAg than serum HBV DNA and HBsAg, irrespective of HBeAg status.

Automated summary

This study found strong correlation between serum HBV pgRNA and HBcrAg levels in Chinese chronic hepatitis B patients, with moderate correlation with HBV DNA and HBsAg. Differences in serum HBV pgRNA levels and correlations were observed between HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients, with HBcrAg showing the most stable correlation with HBV pgRNA.