Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a common chronic disease. Previous studies have shown a link between 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 (vitamin D 3 ) concentration and liver disease. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been attributed to the inappropriate functioning of cell-mediated immunity. However, the effects of vitamin D 3 , immune cell, and HBeAg status on HBV viral load in CHB patients are still unclear. We investigated the relationship between the serum concentration of vitamin D 3 , percentage of immune cells in peripheral blood, and the HBV viral load of CHB patients. Sixty CHB patients were recruited, and their blood samples were collected and analyzed. Vitamin D level was measured using a chemiluminescence assay. A level of 30 ng/mL or above was defined as a vitamin D 3 sufficiency. We assigned vitamin D 3 status as either normal (≥30 ng/mL), insufficient (20–30 ng/mL), or deficient (<20 ng/mL). T-lymphocyte and B-lymphocyte surface markers in peripheral blood were detected using flow cytometry. The factors associated with HBV viral load were analyzed using univariate and multivariate-adjusted models. The mean serum vitamin D 3 concentration in the subjects was 20.9 ± 5.6 ng/mL. Up to 88.3% of the patients were either deficient in or had insufficient vitamin D 3 . The gender, BMI, hepatitis B surface antigen levels, and ALT levels were significantly related to serum vitamin D 3 levels. Serum vitamin D 3 concentration, HBe status, HBs levels, ALT, and AST levels showed a statistically significant correlation with the HBV DNA levels. Serum vitamin D 3 concentrations and hepatitis B surface antigen levels were strongly correlated with HBV DNA levels. Vitamin D 3 levels were significantly associated with CD19 numbers (β:−6.2, 95% CI: −10.5). In multivariate analysis, vitamin D 3 levels in the deficient and insufficient groups, and the CD8, HBeAg, and WBC counts were significantly associated with HBV DNA levels. In the immune tolerance phase of HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infection, vitamin D 3 may be a modulator of immune function via CD8, CD19, and HBV DNA.
【저자키워드】 Chronic Hepatitis B, HBV DNA, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, lymphocyte surface markers,