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World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2014; 20(34): 12045-12055
Published online Sep 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i34.12045
Practical approach in hepatitis B e antigen-negative individuals to identify treatment candidates
Ahmad Najib Azmi, Soek-Siam Tan, Rosmawati Mohamed
Ahmad Najib Azmi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Soek-Siam Tan, Department of Hepatology, Selayang Hospital, 68100 Selangor, Malaysia
Rosmawati Mohamed, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Author contributions: Azmi AN, Tan SS and Mohamed R equally contributed to the present work; Azmi AN drafted, wrote, edited and revised the article; Tan SS and Mohamed R equally contributed to revise, edit and write the article; Mohamed R made the final critical review of article.
Correspondence to: Rosmawati Mohamed, MBBS, MRCP, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ros@ummc.edu.my
Telephone: +60-3-79492867 Fax: +60-3-79556936
Received: October 27, 2013
Revised: January 17, 2014
Accepted: April 8, 2014
Published online: September 14, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative, the predominant form of chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide, consist of individuals with varying levels of viral replication and liver disease. The dynamic nature of HBeAg-negative infection underscore the need for an appropriate classification and evaluation of this group of patients, including the use of additional tools such as transient elastography and hepatitis B s antigen quantification, with the aim of identifying potential candidates for treatment.