Published online Aug 1, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i15.2228
Revised: January 3, 2004
Accepted: January 12, 2004
Published online: August 1, 2004
AIM: To investigate the early diagnostic methods of bacterial and fungal infection in patients with chronic cholestatic hepatitis B.
METHODS: One hundred and one adult in -patients with chronic hepatitis B were studied and divided into 3 groups: direct bilirubin (DBil)/total bilirubin (TBil) ≥ 0.5, without bacterial and fungal infection (group A, n = 38); DBil/TBil < 0.5, without bacterial and fungal infection (group B, n = 23); DBil/TBil ≥ 0.5, with bacterial or fungal infection (group C, n = 40). The serum biochemical index and pulse rate were analyzed.
RESULTS: Level of TBil, DBil, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and DBil/ALP in group A increased compared with that in group B. The level of ALP in group C decreased compared with that in group A, whereas the level of TBil, DBil and DBil/ALP increased (ALP: 156 ± 43, 199 ± 68, respectively, P < 0.05; TBil: 370 ± 227, 220 ± 206, respectively, P < 0.01; DBil: 214 ± 143, 146 ± 136, respectively, P < 0.01; DBil/ALP: 1.65 ± 1.05, 0.78 ± 0.70, respectively, P < 0.001). The level of DBil and infection affected DBil/ALP. Independent of the effect of DBil, infection caused DBil/ALP to rise (P < 0.05). The pulse rate in group A decreased compared with that in group B (63.7 ± 6.4, 77.7 ± 11.4, respectively, P < 0.001), and the pulse rate in group C increased compared with that in group A (81.2 ± 12.2, 63.7 ± 6.4, respectively, P < 0.001). The equation (infection = 0.218 pusle rate 1.064 DBil/ALP -16.361), with total accuracy of 85.5%, was obtained from stepwise logistic regression. Pulse rate (≥ 80/min) and DBil/ALP (≥ 1.0) were used to screen infection. The sensitivity was 62.5% and 64.7% respectively, and the specificity was 100% and 82.8% respectively.
CONCLUSION: Bacterial and fungal infection deteriorate jaundice and increase pulse rate, decrease serum ALP and increase DBil/ALP. Pulse rate, DBil/ALP and the equation (infection = 0.218 pusle rate + 1.064 DBil/ALP-16.361) are helpful to early diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infection in patients with chronic cholestatic hepatitis B.