title: [Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infect ion with lamivudine combined with famciclovir].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical efficacy of combined treatment with lamivudine and famciclovir on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety patients with chronic HBV infection were divided into 3 groups. Group one had 28 patients and was treated with combination of lamivudine (0.1 g/d, PO) and famciclovir (1.5 g/d,PO) for 24 weeks. Group two and three had 30 and 32 cases, respectively, and were treated with lamivudine 100 mg/day PO and famciclovir (1.5 g/d,PO) alone. All the patients had positive markers of HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBcAg in serum assayed by ELISA and of HBV DNA tested by PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three strategies of treatment had no different effects on the change of patients' ALT levels. The serum HBV DNA became negative after treatment in 89.3% (25/28) of patients treated with combination of lamivudine and famciclovir, 66.7% (20/30) of patients treated with lamivudine, and 40.6% (13/32) of patients treated with famciclovir. The rate of serum HBeAg loss in 3 groups were 28.6% (8/28), 23.3% (7/30) and 21.9% (7/32), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination treatment of lamivudine and famciclovir for chronic HBV infection is safer than and superior to that of either drug alone.
authors.affiliation: The Sixth Department of Infectious Diseases, The 302nd Hospital of the PLA, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Hui-fen
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D015075:2-Aminopurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D000077595:Famciclovir; D005260:Female; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D019259:Lamivudine; D015075:2-Aminopurine; D000077595:Famciclovir