Genotypes and clinical phenotypes of hepatitis B virus in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Genotype C of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been shown to be associated with a poor clinical outcome, compared to genotype B. To explore the clinical phenotypes, with special reference to the seroconversion of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and frequency of acute exacerbation between patients infected with HBV genotypes B and C, a cohort of 272 Taiwanese patients with chronic HBV infection was analyzed. According to the status of HBeAg at enrollment and frequency of acute exacerbation during the follow-up period, five groups of patients with distinct clinical phenotypes were categorized. Of the 272 HBV carriers, 185 (68%) were infected with HBV genotype B and the remaining 87 (32%) were infected with genotype C. Among them, 150 (55%) were positive for HBeAg and patients with genotype C infection tended to have a higher positive rate of HBeAg than those with genotype B infection (63 versus 51%). Genotype B was more prevalent than genotype C in different groups of HBV carriers. However, the prevalence of genotype C in patients with multiple episodes of acute exacerbation who failed to have HBeAg seroconversion was significantly higher than in all 272 patients (50 versus 32%, P = 0.025), in those with HBeAg seroconversion after only one episode of acute exacerbation (50 versus 12%, P = 0.01), or in those negative for HBeAg at enrollment and without acute exacerbations (50 versus 23%, P = 0.002). In conclusion, patients with genotype C infection have a more aggressive clinical phenotype than do those with genotype B infection, which contributes to the former group's progressive liver disease and poor clinical outcomes.