What does the hepatitis B index refer to?

There are actually multiple indicators for hepatitis B testing, such as hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B e antigen, etc. These test items will have certain quantitative references. If they are not within the normal reference value, there is a possibility of hepatitis B infection. For hepatitis B testing, everyone should go to a regular hospital.

Indicator Details

1. HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) is the outer shell material of the hepatitis B virus and is not contagious in itself. Its positivity often indicates the presence of complete virus particles.

2. Anti-HBs (hepatitis B surface antibody, HBsAb) is an antibody that appears during the recovery period of people naturally infected with HBV. At this time, HBsAg disappears naturally. Its existence indicates that people have become resistant to hepatitis B and will not get hepatitis B again. 27.42% of the population in our country has this antibody.

3. HBeAg (hepatitis B e antigen) is produced inside the virus and can be secreted into the blood. A positive e antigen indicates that the virus is active. The hepatitis B virus replicates very quickly and is an indicator of infectiousness.

4. Anti-HBe (Hepatitis B e antibody, HBeAb) is a protein substance produced by the human body against the e antigen. A positive result indicates that the virus's infectiousness has weakened and the disease is in the recovery stage. But another possibility is that the hepatitis B virus has mutated. At this time, there is no HBeAg in the serum, but anti-HBe can be produced. In this case, HBV-DNA needs to be checked to determine whether the virus still exists.

5. Anti-HBc (hepatitis B core antibody, HbcAb) This antibody is divided into two types: IgM and IgG. A positive anti-HBc-IgM indicates viral activity and is contagious; a positive anti-HBc-IgG indicates a previous infection, which is not contagious and does not require antiviral treatment.