Abstract
Hepatitis B e antigen and antibody system was followed up for 1 to 12 years (average, 4.1 years) in 87 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic liver disease. They were not treated with IFN, Ara-A, OK-432, large dose SNMC (Glycyrrhizin) and rebound therapy by corticosteroid.
We judged seroconversion by immunodiffusion (micro-ouchterlony) and radioimmunoassay (inhibition%≥90%).
Fifteen patients (8 males and 7 females) seroconverted during the follow-up period, and with life table study a linear relationship (Y=-6.3X+103.3, r=-0.977, p<0.01) was obtained between cumulative non-seroconversion rate (Y) and follow-up period (X). It was suggested that 5.7% of HBeAg-positive patients seroconverted naturally from HBeAg to anti-HBe each year.
Seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe occured more frequently in female than in male (p<0.05), and the period from onset to seroconversion was shorter in the patients with acute exacerbation one more times in a year than in those with less times (p<0.05).
