Real-time HBV-DNA

[dEcEmbEr1984]

Hi,

I and my brother had the HBV-DNA test results today:
Mine: 1390 copies/ml
My brother's: 288000 copies/ml

How serious our results are? Do we need any treatment?

Thanks

[StephenCastlecrag]

I am not familiar with ALP - it is more related to bile duct issues if elevated. I think the normal range is 20-140 iu/l

[dEcEmbEr1984]

I meant ALP

[StephenCastlecrag]

ALK?  Do you mean ALT or Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)?

COI (cut off index) is not a standard unit, but rather a index specific to the test kits used and is not meaningful. We need the results as positive(reactive) or negative(non-reactive) for qualitative tests and in standard unit for quantitative tests.

[dEcEmbEr1984]

Bellow is the result of my brother:

ALK: 73.1 U/L
HBsAg: 3737 COI
HBsAb: < 2.0 U/L
HBeAg: 206.5 COI
HBeAb: 2.02

Do you have any idea about this?

[stef2011]

there was a memeber from vietnam, check older posts by search box and see if you can contact or see hospital and researcher/liver specialist in his posts

he went to the capitol if i remember correct and found a very advanced/good doctor and all tests like fibroscan and hbsag quant

[StephenCastlecrag]

Hbsag
Hbsab
Hbeag
Hbeab
Liver functions (liver panel)

[dEcEmbEr1984]

Thank you, can you give me the complete list of tests which we should do to determine disease status?

P/S: Sorry for my poor English.

[dEcEmbEr1984]

Thank you so much.

We will do the HBsAg test, but I'm not sure if the fibroscan is available in Vietnam yet.

[StephenCastlecrag]

whether to treat or not cannot be decided by 1 test and 1 result only. You will need at the minimum HBeAg status and ALT. But other factors such as gender, age, history, and liver functions panel are also important.

[stef2011]

hbvdna is toatally useless to define hbv infection status, today we have better tests so hbvdna can be useful to measure if antivirals are working or not

to main tests are:
fibroscan, the only test that can detect and monitor liver damage, if there is no liver damage treatment is not needed (exception hbv genotype c and family histroy of hcc, age >40-50)

hbsag quantity in iu/ml, measure infected cells in the liver and immune response toward hbv

treatment is infeffective on hbv virus and can only stop liver damage so you just need to know if your brtoher has liver damage or not by fibroscan and what hbv genotye

to clear hbv there is only one long way: tenofovir (most potent) or entecavir for many years like 3-5years and then interferon add on 2 years
antivirals are reported to repair immune system response towards hbv by many years of use so addition of interferon will finally clear hbv but only after many years of antivirals
since hbv drugs will be available in few years it is best to wait if no liver damage