Virology

1. PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B e-ANTIGEN
AMONG HEPATITIS B POSITIVE PATIENTS
IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL-A
RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
BY
DR.S.PRIYADHARSHINI
POSTGRADUATE
CHETTINAD HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE

2. INTRODUCTION:
● Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is a small polypeptide found in
patient sera,
● Indicating the virus's infectivity and infectious virions.
● Post-infection, HBeAg levels decline, becoming undetectable
during recovery.
● It's essential for infectivity, viral replication, anti-HBe
immunity, treatment response, and is incorporated into
international management guidelines.

3. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
● This study reviewed records of hepatitis B patients who
underwent HBeAg testing in a Tertiary care hospital from 2019-
2023.
● A total of 90,487 were tested for HBsAg of which 530 were
HBsAg positive.
● HBsAg was tested using a double antibody sandwich ELISA
method.
● The HBsAg positive patients were tested for HbeAg, using
ELISA method.

4. AIM & OBJECTIVE:
● The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B e
antigen-positive cases among HBV-infected individuals in a
tertiary care hospital with predominant HBV genotype E.
● It also aimed to correlate these results with gender

5. RESULT
● Among 530 individuals with HBsAg positivity, 121 underwent
HBeAg testing, revealing 10% prevalence of HBeAg
positivity.
● Notably, within this subset, 83.33% were males, and 16.67%
were females, signifying a significant gender-based
difference (p<0.05).
● The data implies a higher likelihood of males being HBeAg-
positive in comparison to females.

6. ● Overall, these findings contribute to understanding the
prevalence of HBeAg in HBV-infected individuals, shedding
light on gender-specific variations.
● The 10% prevalence suggests that approximately 1 in 10
HBV-infected individuals carries the HBeAg marker.

7. ● This insight is valuable for public health efforts, as it
underscores the importance of considering gender
differences in the management and understanding of
Hepatitis B infections.
● And also facilitating more targeted interventions and
healthcare strategies.

8. DISCUSSION
● The study of HBeAg prevalence in HBsAg-positive individuals
revealed a 10% incidence, highlighting a gender gap in viral
markers.
● This suggests that viral markers may have specific dynamics
based on gender, potentially due to hormonal influences or
genetic predispositions.
● The findings emphasize the need for individualized
management strategies, particularly considering gender-specific
variations.

9. ● However, methodological issues and study design biases must
be considered for validity.
● Future research should explore treatment responses and long-
term outcomes in diverse demographic groups.

10. CONCLUSION
● We have shown that approximately one-tenth of HbsAg-positive
individuals are also positive for HbeAg, which is a marker of active
viral replication and transmission.
● HBeAg positivity is low prevalent among hepatitis B patients in
tertiary care hospital.
● We suggest strengthening of the childhood vaccination programme,
massive intervention activities, and treatment programmes to reverse
the possible devastating effect of HBV infection.

11. THANK YOU