Antiviral therapy in HBsAg-positive chronic liver disease (HBsAg+ve CLD): how many patients really need it?
One hundred and seventy-one consecutive patients with HBsAg+ve CLD were investigated in order to assess whether they were actively replicating the hepatitis B virus, and therefore eligible for antiviral therapy. Our results show that only 5.8% of patients were actively replicating B virus and therefore antiviral therapy, when available, could be used only for a small subgroup of patients suffering from CLD due to hepatitis B virus chronic infection.
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase