Abstract
Histopathological analysis was carried out to determine whether hepatitis B surface antigen with the autopsy diagnoses of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma declined between the 1964-1973 and 1974-1983 decades. In this study, the liver specimens from 422 autopsy cases at Nagasaki University Hospital were used. All of the 17 cases of acute hepatitis were hepatitis B surface antigen negative. Hepatitis B surface antigen positive rates in chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma showed minor changes during 1964-1983. On the other hand, proportions of hepatitis B surfce antigen carriers in cirrhosis and cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma in the recent decade 1974-1983 were found to decrease compared to the last decade 1964-1973. However, the difference of the hepatitis B surface antigen positive rates in cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma between the 2 periods was marginally significant, but not significant in cirrhosis. A possible explanation may be that many cases of posttransfusion hepatitis in the latter decade are not caused by hepatitis B virus.
