Correlation between viral load and liver cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels during the course and the progression to cirrhosis with chronic hepatitis B. A total of 239 chronic hepatitis B patients confirmed by liver biopsy between 2001 and 2007 were followed up for a median of 28 months. Compared with the patients without cirrhosis, the patients progressed to cirrhosis were older and with higher HBV-DNA levels at end point. However, there was no significant difference in cirrhosis progression between different HBV-DNA groups at baseline ( P = 0.531). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed higher HBV-DNA level at endpoint had increasing risk of cirrhosis ( P = 0.019). The results of Cox model indicated that HBV-DNA levels at endpoint, stage of fibrosis, negative hepatitis B e antigen, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase at baseline were independent risk factors of cirrhosis. The relative risk ratios were 1.898, 1.918, 8.976, and 1.006, respectively. Progression to cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients is correlated with HBV-DNA levels during follow-up.