Antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis.
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) may result in significant morbidity, including cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The management of chronic HBV cirrhosis is advancing rapidly. Current treatment options for patients with HBV-related cirrhosis include interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil. IFN-a is used less commonly today because of its toxicity, difficulty with administration, and the availability of safer drugs. Lamivudine, an oral nucleoside analog, has proven to be at least as effective, and is safer, than IFN-a in the treatment of HBV-related cirrhosis. It is plagued by the development of resistant viral mutants, however. The newest oral nucleotide analog, adefovir dipivoxil, has shown excellent efficacy in treatment-naïve and lamivudine-resistant HBV patients and has lower rates of resistance in the short-term.
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco, S357, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0538, USA.
Cindy J
CJ
Lai
Norah A
NA
Terrault
D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000821:virology*; D063065:Organophosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D063065:Organophosphonates; D019259:Lamivudine; D000225:Adenine; C106812:adefovir dipivoxil