Table 1. Baseline characteristics and outcome of children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) having high-level viremia and normal or mildly elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT ) levels in treated and control groups.
| Parameters | Treated group | Control group | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 32 | 16 | |
| Age (y) | 3.35 (2.77, 5.53) | 5.15 (3.60, 9.25) | 0.058 |
| ≥1 and <3 | 9 (28.13) | 2 (12.50) | 0.207 |
| ≥3 and <7 | 19 (59.38) | 9 (56.25) | |
| 7–14 | 4 (12.50) | 5 (31.25) | |
| M:F | 18:14 | 10:6 | 0.918 |
| qHBsAg, log10 IU/mL | 4.58 (4.07, 4.84) | 4.79 (4.64, 5.04) | 0.124 |
| HBV DNA, log10 IU/mL | 7.99 (7.60, 8.55) | 8.53 (8.16, 8.66) | 0.185 |
| Neutrophil count, 109/L | 2.73 (1.99, 3.59) | 2.47 (2.10, 3.01) | 0.726 |
| CD4+ T lymphocyte count, cells/µLa | 1,466.00 (1,084.50, 1,929.75) | 1,026.00 (831.50, 1,934.00) | 0.320 |
| CD8+ T lymphocyte count, cells/µLa | 862.50 (594.25, 1,219.00) | 855.00 (702.00, 948.00) | 0.915 |
| B lymphocyte count, cells/µLa | 1,008.00 (544.25, 1,369.25) | 603.00 (451.00, 1,042.50) | 0.145 |
| NK cell count, cells/µLa | 334.50 (196.50, 447.75) | 329.00 (180.00, 585.50) | 0.957 |
| HBV genotype | 0.663 | ||
| B genotype | 5 (15.63) | 2 (12.50) | |
| C genotype | 20 (62.50) | 12 (75.00) | |
| Undetected | 7 (21.88) | 2 (12.50) | |
| AST, U/L | 48.00 (44.50, 56.25) | 46.50 (31.50, 51.50) | 0.175 |
| ALT, U/L | 43.00 (38.75, 49.00) | 39.00 (21.25, 50.25) | 0.599 |
| Range (min, max) | (18, 57) | (16, 59) | |
| Patients w/ normal level | 9 (28.13) | 8 (50.00) | 0.241 |
| Patients w/ 1–1.5× ULN | 23 (71.88) | 6 (50.00) | |
| Inflammation gradeb | 0.023c | ||
| G0 | 2 (7.14) | 5 (41.67) | |
| G1 | 18 (64.29) | 6 (50.00) | |
| G2 | 8 (28.57) | 1 (8.33) | |
| Fibrosis stageb | 0.113 | ||
| S0 | 4 (14.29) | 1 (8.33) | |
| S1 | 15 (53.57) | 11 (91.67) | |
| S2 | 8 (28.57) | 0 (0) | |
| S3 | 1 (3.57) | 0 (0) | |
| Family history of HBV infection | 0.592 | ||
| Mother w/ HBsAg positivity | 26 (81.25) | 14 (87.50) | |
| Both parents w/ HBsAg positivity | 2 (6.25) | 0 (0) | |
| Neither parent w/ HBsAg positivity | 4 (12.50) | 2 (12.50) | |
| Clinical outcome | |||
| HBV DNA loss | 27 (84.38) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| HBeAg loss | 19 (59.38) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| HBeAg seroconversion | 16 (50.00) | 0 (0) | 0.002 |
| HBsAg loss | 18 (56.25) | 0 (0) | 0.001 |
| HBsAg seroconversion | 18 (56.25) | 0 (0) | 0.001 |
aPeripheral lymphocyte subsets were tested in 35/48 enrolled children. bLiver histological analyses were performed with 28/32 children in the treatment group and 12/16 children in the control group using a one-second needle biopsy sample. cSome children in the control group with biopsy inflammation grade G0; whether this contributed to the statistical difference in hepatic inflammation between the treated and control groups requires investigation. Categorical variables expressed as number (n) and percentage (%), and continuous variables as median (interquartile range). AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CHB, chronic hepatitis B; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen; NK, natural killer; qHBsAg, quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen; ULN, upper limit of normal.