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Background: Patients with hepatitis Be antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg-negative CHB), and patients' inactive carriers (IC) have similar laboratory and serologic characteristics and are not always easy to distinguish., Aim: To characterise hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) negative chronic hepatitis B cohort based on their laboratory and virology evaluations at one point of time., Methods: A prospective non-randomized study was conducted on 109 patients with HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B treated as outpatients at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions. All patients underwent laboratory and serology testing, quantification of HBV DNA and HBs antigen (qHBsAg)., Results: A group of 56 patients were inactive carriers (IC), and 53 patients had HBeAg-negative CHB (AH). The mean values of ALT, HBV DNA and qHBsAg in IC were 29.13 U/L; 727.95 IU/ml and 2753.73 IU/ml respectively. In the AH group, the mean values of ALT, HBV DNA and quantitative HBsAg were 50.45 U/L; 7237363.98 IU/ml and 12556.06 IU/ml respectively. The serum value of ALT was more influenced by qHBsAg than HBV DNA in both IC and AH groups (R = 0.22 vs R = 0.15) (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: patients with inactive and active HBeAg-negative CHB have similar laboratory and serology profile. It is necessary to combine analysis of ALT, HBV DNA and qHBsAg for better discrimination between patient's IC and patient with HBeAg-negative CHB.

Background: Liver biopsy for evaluation of liver fibrosis has several adverse effects, for which reason noninvasive tests have been developed., Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of noninvasive biomarkers, qHBsAg and HBV DNA levels in predicting liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB)., Material and Methods: This prospective study included 50 patients with HBeAg negative CHB. All patients underwent laboratory and serology testing, quantification of HBV DNA and HBs antigen. The liver stiffness was measured with elastography. The patients were analysed for APRI and FIB-4, quantitative hepatitis Bs antigen and HBV DNA., Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that greatest significance in predicting liver fibrosis has FIB-4 (Wald = 3.24, P = 0.07), followed by HBV DNA ≥ 2 000 IU/ml ≤ 20 000 IU/ml (Wald = 2.86, P = 0.09), qHBsAg (Wald = 2.17, P = 0.14), HBV DNA > 20 000 IU/ml (Wald = 0.58, P = 0.45), APRI (Wald = 0.04, P = 0.84)., Conclusion: the FIB-4 index has the greatest value in predicting liver fibrosis while APRI has the lowest; the more advanced liver disease is associated with lower serum level of quantitative HBs antigen. Combination of noninvasive blood biomarkers and imaging tests can provide better diagnostic accuracy and exclude the need for liver biopsy.