Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 7;14(3):348.
doi: 10.3390/life14030348.

Hepatitis B in Pediatric Population: Observational Retrospective Study in Romania

Daniela Păcurar  1   2 , Alexandru Dinulescu  1   2 , Gheorghiță Jugulete  3   4 , Alexandru-Sorin Păsărică  2 , Irina Dijmărescu  1   2
Affiliations

Hepatitis B in Pediatric Population: Observational Retrospective Study in Romania

Daniela Păcurar et al. Life (Basel). .

Erratum in

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a frequent cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide, with an estimated 5.6 million children under 5 years being infected. In Romania, there are no available epidemiology reports on large cohorts in children. We aimed to assess the profile of pediatric chronic HBV infection in southern Romania. We conducted an observational retrospective study on 506 HBV-infected children. Based on alaninaminotransferase (ALT), HBV serology and viremia, we identified four states of the disease. We correlated age, gender, household HBV infection, coinfection with other viruses and laboratory parameters. Most patients were in a positive HBV envelope antigen (HBeAg) immune-active state (65.4%). Age at diagnosis was significantly lower for those with household infection (p < 0.05). ALT values were not significantly different between positive or negative HBeAg patients in the immune-active state (p = 0.780). ALT values were higher in patients with hepatitis D virus (HDV)-associated infection (p < 0.001). Children with a household HBV infection had a high viraemia more frequently when compared to those with no infected relative (79.3% vs. 67.4%) (p < 0.001), but the ALT values were not significantly different (p = 0.21). Most of the patients are in an immune-active state (high ALT, high viremia). The percentages of HBV- and HDV-associated infections are high, but lower than the reported prevalence in Romania in the general population.

Keywords: ALT; AST; HBV; HCV; HDV; hepatitis B; transaminases; viraemia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selection of the subjects for the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of children with chronic HBV infection by year of inclusion in the study.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of children with chronic HBV infection by age group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Family HBV infection status for chronic HBV-infected patients. The interior bars indicate the medians while the whiskers extend to the maximum and minimum of the data.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Value of ALT according to the absence/presence of HDV infection in children with chronic infection with HBV. The interior bars indicate the medians while the whiskers extend to the maximum and minimum of the data; ◦ = outlier; * = far outlier.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Lampertico P., Agarwal K., Berg T., Buti M., Janssen H.L.A., Papatheodoridis G., Zoulim F., Tacke F. EASL 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Hepatitis B Virus Infection. J. Hepatol. 2017;67:370–398. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2017.03.021. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Constantin A.T., Delia C., Tudor L.M., Rosca I., Irimie A.D., Năstase L., Gherghina I. Dyslipidemia in Pediatric Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicina. 2023;59:1434. doi: 10.3390/medicina59081434. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. European Association for the Study of the Liver EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. J. Hepatol. 2012;57:167–185. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2012.02.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Newsome P.N., Cramb R., Davison S.M., Dillon J.F., Foulerton M., Godfrey E.M., Hall R., Harrower U., Hudson M., Langford A., et al. Guidelines on the Management of Abnormal Liver Blood Tests. Gut. 2018;67:6–19. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314924. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shi Y.-H., Shi C.-H. Molecular Characteristics and Stages of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. World J. Gastroenterol. 2009;15:3099. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.3099. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.

LinkOut - more resources