Prevalence of hepatitis B e antigenemia in Bahraini hepatitis B patients: A retrospective, single‐center study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hepatitis B e (HBe) antigen (HBeAg) is commonly encountered among hepatitis B patients and is indicative of active infection. There is a lack of data in the literature about the prevalence of HBeAg among hepatitis B patients in Bahrain and its impact on the disease. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of HBeAg among a sample of hepatitis B patients in Bahrain and to analyze their associated laboratory profile, radiological characteristics, comorbidities, and complications. METHODS: This was a retrospective record‐review study conducted on patients' records at Salmaniya Medical Complex hospital in Bahrain during the period of 2011–2016. All records of hepatitis B patients who had HBeAg tests performed were included in this study. RESULTS: Of 323 patients recruited, 18.9% had positive HBeAg. The prevalence of anti‐HBe antibodies and hepatitis B core immunoglobulin G (HBc IgG) differed significantly between patients with positive and negative HBeAg (P < 0.001, P = 0.026, respectively). Alanine transferase and gamma‐glutamyl transferase were significantly higher among patients with positive HBeAg (P = 0.017, P = 0.016, respectively). There was no significant difference with regard to the prevalence of hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver transplantation between HBe‐positive and ‐negative patients (P ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: HBeAg is prevalent among hepatitis B patients in Bahrain and is associated with a significantly different laboratory profile.