[Level and clinical significance of soluble CD40 in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To understand the level and clinical significance of soluble CD40 in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: Detecting the concentration of sCD40 from 176 cases with chronic hepatitis B by ELISA and analyzing its relationship with different grades of inflammation and necrosis in liver tissue. RESULTS: sCD40 from patients with chronic hepatitis B was significantly higher than those from healthy. And that the concentration of sCD40 was positive correlation with severe clinical disease and liver inflammation and necrosis. In patients whose ALT lower than 80 IU/L and sCD40 higher than 80 pg/ml, it showed that 65.85% cases have high grade of liver inflammation and necrosis, which was significantly higher than patients with sCD40 lower than 80 pg/ ml. CONCLUSION: The concentration of sCD40 is positively related with the grade of liver inflammation and necrosis. This information could help us to evaluate the status of chronic hepatitis B as an immunological index.