Could Complement C4 be an Alternative to Biopsy for Chronic Hepatitis B Histopathologic Findings?

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B leads to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. Viral markers and other laboratory tests used in diagnosis and follow-up of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) do not correlate well with disease activity and liver histopathology. For this reason, alternative tests that indicate disease activity are needed. We aimed to investigate the utility of serum complement levels for follow-up in patients with CHB with normal and high transaminase levels.