Biological Profile of Chronic Hepatitis B and its Predictive Factors According to Liver Histological Activity at the Renaissance Hospital, N’Djamena, Chad

Background: No study in black Africa has investigated the profile of chronic hepatitis B according to the new European association for the study of the liver (EASL) classification. The aim of the study was to determine the biological profile of chronic HBsAg carriers according to the EASL classification of chronic hepatitis B. Method: This is a prospective cross-sectional study carried out in the gastroenterology outpatient department at the Renaissance Hospital in N’Djamena from January, 2018 to July, 2019. All patients with chronic HBsAg were included and documented for at least one year. Patients with hepatitis C, hepatitis D or HIV or alcoholic were excluded. The biological profile was determined according the EASL classification: HBeAg-positive chronic infection, HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis, HBeAg-negative chronic infection, HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis and HBsAg-negative phase. Factors associated with presence of significant liver fibrosis were founded by logistical regression. Results: 106 patients were included. The average age were 42.4 years old. The sex ratio was 1.43. The median of the transaminase were 24 IU/ml (AST) and 21 IU/ml (ALT). 61 patients had HBeAg-negative chronic infection (59.8%) and 37 patients had HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis (36.2%). HBeAg-positive chronic infection and HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis were both seen in 2% of the cases. Significant liver fibrosis was independently associated with the ALT levels (Odds ratio=1.038 [1.009-1.068]; p=0.009). Conclusion: Chronic HBeAg-negative B infection is the main form in chronic HBsAg-positive carriers. Transaminases are a predictive factor for the presence of hepatic fibrosis.