Long-term follow-up Study of chronic hepatitis B virus carriers of company employees

Chronic hepatitis B virus carriers (HBV carriers) of company employees have been studied. The incidence of HBV carriers was 986 (1.17%) of 84, 456 company employees, of whom 157 (15.9%) had elevated GPT levels. The male and young HVB carriers had higher incidence of the elevated GPT level. Of 808 HBV carriers who were followed up during about 6 years, 280 were HBeAg-positive and 528 negative at the initial examination. Of 280 HBeAg-positive carriers, 39 became seronegative (SN) and 20 were seroconverted to anti-HBe (SC). Serum GPT was elevated in all the cases before SN or SC developed and since then, returned to the normal level in most of the cases. Of carriers with persistently positive HBeAg, HBeAg titer was higher in the normal GPT carrier (4.88±1.30) than in the elevated GPT carrier (4.14±1.42). Of carriers with persistently positive anti-HBe, persistently elevated GPT values had been noted in 25 (6%). Some of them were implicated in fatty liver or post-transfusion NANB hepatitis.