Peripheral blood inflammatory indices may predict distinct serologic patterns of hepatitis B virus infection: a large hospital cohort study.

Authors

Na Li, Pengcheng Yu, Jehan Zeb, Jie Jian

Published in

Laboratory medicine. Volume 57. Issue 6. Oct 05, 2026.

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major public health burden. This study evaluated hematologic characteristics across different serologically defined HBV patterns among hospital attendees in southwest China.
A total of 5828 individuals were included in the study. Individuals were classified into 5 study-defined serologic patterns: hepatitis B surface antigen positive (HBsAg+)/hepatitis B e antigen positive (HBeAg+) (active replication stage), HBsAg+/hepatitis B e antibody positive (HBeAb+) (immune control stage), HBsAg+/HBeAg-/HBeAb- (transition infection stage), isolated anti-hepatitis B core (HBc), and anti-HBc+/anti-HBs+ (resolved infection stage), according to qualitative HBV serology. These descriptive patterns are not validated clinical infection phases.
The overall HBsAg seropositivity rate was approximately 3%. HBsAg positivity was more frequent in male individuals (odds ratio, 1.26), whereas the odds of HBsAg positivity were lower in participants younger than 24 years of age (odds ratio, 0.33). Neural network models showed moderate ability to discriminate immune states using complete blood cell count-derived indices (area under the curve = 0.721). Nevertheless, the lymphocyte to monocyte ratio and systemic inflammation response index revealed a substantial trend from innate immune activation in active replication/transition infection stage to adaptive immune predominance in immune control/resolved infection stage. The isolated anti-HBc pattern was characterized by a reduced eosinophil to lymphocyte ratio, although this association is descriptive and does not establish occult infection or immune surveillance.
Complete blood cell count-derived inflammatory indices were associated with different serologic HBV patterns. More evidence of immune transition or progressive immune remodeling is required, however.

PMID:
43007936
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Nov 2026.

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