ETIOLOGY AND PROGNOSIS OF CRYPTOGENIC LIVER-CIRRHOSIS - POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTION OF HEPATITIS-B VIRUS

Three female patients without type B or type C viral hepatitis, alcoho lic, metabolic or autoimmune liver disease, were selected from 250 cas es with histologically proven liver cirrhosis (M:F = 183:67). All thre e cases showed at least one positive aspect among three parameters of serum anti-HBc (RPHA, x1), HBV-DNA (gene S, nested PCR) and liver HBs and/or pre-S2 antigen (immunoperoxidase methods). Two cases may sugges t a spontaneous disappearance of HBV from sera. Another case may sugge st a contribution of mutant HBV which can not be detected by the routi ne tests. These HBV-related cirrhotic patients have done well clinical ly and have not been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma during t he period from 6 to 12 years of follow-up when compared with 59.6% and 65.4% prevalence of hepatocarcinogenesis in type B and type C hepatit is-associated cirrhosis during the observation period of six and seven years on average, respectively.