Hepatitis B e antigen and antibody measured by radioimmunoassay in acute hepatitis B surface antigen-positive hepatitis.

The presence of the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to HBeAg (anti-HBe) was studied by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay in 70 patients with acute hepatitis positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. HBeAg was found in 15 of 16 patients studied within two weeks after onset of symptoms. In total, 45 patients were found positive for HBeAg. The prevalence of this antigen declined constantly during the first 10 weeks after onset of symptoms. Chronic liver disease was demonstrated or suspected in 10 patients, including the five patients who had HBeAg for more than 10 weeks after onset of symptoms. In 33 patients with seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe, 27 (82%) developed anti-HBe within two weeks after the clearance of HBeAg. Among the 58 patients who were or became HBeAg-negative, 53 (91%) had or developed anti-HBe. Thus HBeAg seems to be present regularly in early acute hepatitis B. The persistence of HBeAg may be of prognostic value for the development of a chronic carrier state with hepatitis B surface antigen and/or a chronic liver disease.