title: [Therapeutic options in chronic HBV infection].
abstract: A durable suppression of viral replication in chronic HBV infection decreases the risk of liver disease progression. Treatment is recommended for patients in the immune-active phases of chronic HBV infection (HBeAg positive or HBeAg negative patients with serum HBV-DNA and elevated ALT). Licensed HBV therapies include interferon (sIFN, pegylated-IFN alfa-2a) and nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir) allowing for two different treatment strategies: a finite treatment course of IFN that provides sustained off-treatment response in about one third of patients, or an indefinite treatment with nucleoside/nucleotide analogues that provides a therapy maintained response. IFN has the advantage of a defined treatment duration and of lacking resistance selection; disadvantages are the subcutaneous route of administration and poor tolerability. Nucleoside/nucleotide analogues are orally administered and well tolerated; their drawback is the risk of developing antiviral resistance which increases with duration of treatment. A finite course of IFN should be tried as first-line therapy; a long-term treatment with nucleoside/nucleotide analogues should be used for patients not responding or intolerant to interferon.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Pubblica, Clinica e Preventiva, Settore Malattie Infettive, Seconda Università di Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Felaco
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanzione
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine; D007372:Interferons