Abstract
Three patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, two with chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis, and the third with quiescent cirrhosis, cleared HBsAg from their serum and eventually developed anti-HBs. All three were asymptomatic and had nearly normal serum aminotransferases following loss of HBsAg. Liver biopsy revealed cirrhosis in each patient. With the development of anti-HBs, these patients became serologically indistinguishable from patients with a cryptogenic cirrhosis who had prior unrelated exposure to hepatitis B. Remote chronic hepatitis B infection may be a more common cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis than is commonly appreciated.
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Morgan, T.R., Redeker, A.G., Yamada, S. et al. HBsAg clearance in chronic active hepatitis B. Digest Dis Sci 31, 700–704 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296446
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01296446