Incidence and clinical significance of e antigen and antibody in acute and chronic liver disease.

摘要: "e" is a serum antigen associated with type-B hepatitis. It found only in hepatitis B surface (HBsAg) positive sera, but antigenically distinct from HBsAg. e was not detected the of any 99 cases acute who recovered normally. Its antibody, anti-e, 14 (14%). The antibody usually appeared before clearance HBsAg and appearance HBsAb. Serum 29 symptom-free carriers HBsAg, 21 (73%) showed anti-e. chronic active (44%) persistent (31%). however, 2 79 patients 7 5 primary liver-cell carcinoma or inactive HBsAg-positive cirrhosis. was, all those cirrhosis 4 cancer. These results suggest that presence continuing liver disease. Anti-e, disease asymptomatic carriage its must be regarded as valuable sign predicting will escape progressive