The course of chronic HBV infection is considered to consist of four phases: immune tolerance, immune clearance (HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis), inactive carrier, and reactivation (HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis), although not all patients go through every phase.
HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen; anti-HBe, antibody to HBeAg; HBV, hepatitis B virus; ALT, alanine aminotransferase.
