The significance of the HBe system in an area highly endemic for hepatitis B virus.

A group of 164 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease and 60 healthy HBsAg carriers were investigated in an area highly endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV). Eighty-two of the 164 patients (50%) were found to be HBsAg-positive and only 39 (24%) had no HBV markers. A statistically significant correlation was found in the HBsAg-positive patients between the HBe system, their age and the time which had elapsed since their acute episode. Thus, the prevalence of HBeAg decreased with increasing age and with increasing time since their acute episodes. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of HBeAg and active chronic liver disease. Of the patients with chronic active hepatitis with or without cirrhosis, all patients below the age of 13 years were HBsAg-positive and 72% were also HBeAg-positive. The data suggest that the HBeAg-positivity in HBsAg carriers is of limited duration and that the seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe is related to a histologically less active or inactive stage of the disease.