Long-term follow-up of HBeAg-positive young adult Japanese patients treated with corticosteroid withdrawal therapy for chronic hepatitis B.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term effects of corticosteroid withdrawal therapy (CSWT) in young adult Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis B (CH-B) virus infection.


METHODS
The subjects were 106 patients with CH-B who received CSWT, were less than 35 years of age and had been followed for more 10 years after CSWT.


RESULTS
Retreatment was not required in 41 patients (38.7%; retreatment(-) group) while 65 (61.3%) received treatment after the initial CSWT (retreatment(+) group). Larger proportions of patients of the retreatment(-) group were females, had liver histology stage F2/F3, high ICG R15, and genotypes A/B/D/E, compared with the retreatment(+) group. At the last follow-up examination, the HBeAg seronegative rate was 90.2% in the retreatment(-) group and 98.5% in retreatment(+) group. In the retreatment(-) group, the rate of liver cirrhosis (LC; 7.3%, 3 patients) was lower, but the rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; 12.2%, 5 patients) was higher than in the retreatment(+) group (20%, 13 patients, and 4.6%, 3 patients, respectively). At the 10-year period, the overall HBsAg loss, LC and HCC rates were 2.8, 13.2 and 1.9%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that CSWT is good short-term therapy and has possible long-term effects in young adult Japanese patients with CH-B.
Sezaki
Hitomi
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. hitomis@mx1.harmonix.ne.jp
Suzuki
Fumitaka
F
Hosaka
Tetsuya
T
Akuta
Norio
N
Someya
Takashi
T
Kobayashi
Masahiro
M
Suzuki
Yoshiyuki
Y
Saitoh
Satoshi
S
Arase
Yasuji
Y
Ikeda
Kenji
K
Kumada
Hiromitsu
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens