Diagnostic Precision of Truenat® Technique and Co-Relation of Alt Levels With Hbv-Dna Viral Load Among Hbsag Positive Patients At A Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Background and objectives: in india, it is estimated that there are 40 million people suffering from hepatitis b virus (hbv). quantification of the viral burden is an important laboratory tool in the management. however, widespread use of different hbv-dna assays is still affected by the high cost and variable diagnostic precision. the present study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic precision and co-relation of alt levels with hbv-dna by truenat®-pcr.materials and methods: in this prospective cross-sectional study a total of 567 serums were collected from patients by rapid hbsag, and processed for liver function tests (lft). the viral hbv-dna amplification detection was carried out through by truenat®-pcr test.results: out of 567 samples, 452 samples were found to be positive by both rapid and truenat®-pcr and 106 were negative for hbv-dna followed by 9 invalid. high alt level found in 73% of positive patients who had hbv-dna level (>100000 copies/ml) which is significantly higher in 447 patients as compared to those have below ≤100000 copies/ml.conclusion: truenat®-pcr technique is a highly sensitive and can be performed with low resources for effective control of hbv infection. evaluation of hbv-dna levels and serum alt levels showed a significant proportion of patient harbored ongoing viral replication and disease progression.