Higher proportion of viral basal core promoter mutant increases the risk of liver cirrhosis in hepatitis B carriers.

Background And Objective: Precore (PC) variant (G1896A) and basal core promoter (BCP) variant (A1762T/G1764A) of HBV are associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV carriers. However, little is known about their impact on the adverse outcomes of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

Methods: 251 spontaneous HBeAg seroconverters who had genotype B or C infection and received a long-term follow-up were enrolled.