Table 1 Characteristics of different determinants for selection for referral.
| Determinant for selection for referral (% and 95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| HBeAg+ or ALT+ | HBeAg+ | ALT+ in HBeAg− | |
| Prevalence of determinant | 43 (38 to 48) | 15 (12 to 19) | 33 (28 to 38) |
| Positive predictive value* | 45 (38 to 53) | 88 (78 to 94) | 22 (15 to 30) |
| Negative predictive value† | 95 (91 to 97) | 90 (86 to 92) | 95 (91 to 97) |
| Sensitivity‡ | 87 (80 to 93) | 61 (51 to 70) | 68 (51 to 80) |
| Specificity§ | 70 (64 to 74) | 98 (95 to 99) | 71 (66 to 76) |
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; HBeAg, hepatitis B e‐antigen; −, negative; +, positive.
*Proportion of patients selected for referral who had high viral loads.
†Proportion of patients not selected for referral who had low viral loads.
‡Proportion of patients with high viral loads who were selected for referral.
§Proportion of patients with low viral loads who were not selected for referral.