Patient's question:
Preparing to have a child, I went for a physical examination, which included a thorough check for hepatitis B. However, I found some items on the report difficult to understand. There are some positive and negative results, but I don't quite grasp the meaning of each item on the report!Doctor's answer:
Quantitative testing of hepatitis B antigen and antibody changes is of great significance for evaluating and predicting therapeutic efficacy, serving as an effective indicator for careful observation of treatment outcomes. If the concentrations of HBsAg and HBeAg decrease, it indicates that the condition is improving and the treatment is effective, especially when HBeAg concentration increases and eventually disappears, which is the best demonstration of treatment efficacy. If during the treatment process, the concentrations of HBsAg and HBeAg do not decrease but instead increase, it proves that the treatment is ineffective or suboptimal, and consideration should be given to changing the treatment plan. Otherwise, the opportunity to treat effectively will be missed, which is detrimental to the patient.