Laboratory Medicine ›› 2022, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (1): 72-77.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-8640.2022.01.015

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Clinical role of HBV RNA detection in chronic hepatitis B

MA Yanting1, SU Xi1, HUANG Fei1, WANG Mengxian1, SHEN Minna1, ZHANG Chunyan2, WANG Beili1, PAN Baishen1, GUO Wei1()   

  1. 1. Department of Clinical Laboratory,Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University,Shanghai 200032,China
    2. Department of Clinical Laboratory,Xiamen Branch,Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University,Xiamen 361015,Fujian,China
  • Received:2020-11-20 Revised:2021-08-26 Online:2022-01-30 Published:2022-03-07
  • Contact: GUO Wei

Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the performance of a method for the detection of hepatitis B virus(HBV) RNA,to compare serum HBV RNA levels in patients with different results of serological markers of HBV infection,and to evaluate the relationship between HBV RNA and HBV DNA. Methods The performance of the method for HBV RNA detection was evaluated,which included precision,sensitivity and linearity. The sera of 81 patients with hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B were collected,and the levels of HBV RNA,HBV DNA and serological markers were detected simultaneously. The patients were classified according to the different results of hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg),serological markers of HBV infection and medication. Results The intra-assay precisions of high and low HBV RNA values were 0.56% and 2.30%,and the inter-assay precisions were 3.13% and 6.03%,respectively,which all met the clinical requirements. The sensitivity of the assay was achieved by repeating the assay 20 times for samples close to the lower limit of detection stated by the manufacturer,and the detection rate was 100%,which met the clinical requirement. It was linear in the range of HBV RNA 1.0×102-1.0×107 copies/mL. Serum HBV RNA and HBV DNA loads in HBeAg-positive group were higher than those in HBeAg-negative group(P<0.01,P<0.05),and the HBeAg-positive and hepatitis B e antibody(HBeAb)-negative group had the highest HBV RNA loads among all the groups with different results of serological markers of HBV infection(P<0.01). Serum HBV DNA and HBV RNA loads were higher in untreated group than those in treated group(P<0.01,P<0.05). In 81 patients with chronic hepatitis B,HBV RNA loads were positively correlated with HBV DNA load and HBeAg positive titer(r=0.348 and 0.544,respectively,P<0.05) and without HBsAg titer(r=0.04,P>0.05). In HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B,serum HBV RNA loads were positively correlated with serum HBV DNA load(r=0.338,P<0.05). In HBeAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B,serum HBV RNA levels did not correlate with serum HBV DNA load(r=0.14,P>0.05). Conclusions Serum HBV RNA level is a potential new marker for monitoring the viral activity and therapeutic efficacy of HBV infection.

Key words: Hepatitis B virus RNA, Hepatitis B virus DNA, Chronic hepatitis B

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