Clinical features of HBsAg seroclearance in hepatitis B virus carriers in South Korea: A retrospective longitudinal study

AIMTo investigate the characteristic features of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance among Korean hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. METHODSCarriers with HBsAg seroclearance were selected by analyzing longitudinal data collected from 2003 to 2015.The period of time from enrollment to the negative conversion of HBsAg (HBsAg-NC) was compared by stratifying various factors, including age, sex, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), HBV DNA, sequential changes in the signal-to-cutoff ratio of HBsAg (HBsAg-SCR), as measured by qualitative HBsAg assay, and chronic liver disease on ultrasonography (US-CLD).Quantification of HBV DNA and HBsAg (HBsAg-QNT) in the serum was performed by commercial assay. RESULTSAmong the 1919 carriers, 90 (4.7%) exhibited HBsAg-NC at 6.2 ± 3.6 years after registration, with no differences observed among the different age groups.Among these carriers, the percentages of those with asymptomatic liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at registration were 31% and 7.8%, respectively.The frequency of HBsAg-NC significantly differed according to the HBV DNA titer and US-CLD.HBeAg influenced HBsAg-NC in the 40-50 and 50-60