Host factors may influence response to antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B virus infections.
In spite of existing vaccines, methods for infection prevention, and an increasing number of antiviral drugs chronic HBV infections remain a major healthcare problem. Chronic HBV infections lead to severe late consequences in the majority of cases like liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Consequently a large number of those infections are in need for treatment in order to avoid these late features of the chronic infection and to prevent a worsening of the clinical course. Unfortunately, with the use of antiviral drugs resistant viral strain emerge; moreover, in the special case of chronic HBV infection and even worse in co-infections with HIV, host mechanisms seems to influence the outcome of the antiviral therapy and to contribute to a kind of host resistance. This article hypothesizes the putative reasons for such host resistance that should become a focus in the systematic search for causes of therapy failures with the aim to optimize the antiviral therapy and to reduce the emergence of resistance.
Kliniken der Stadt Köln, Institut für Pathologie, Private Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Gesundheit, Ostmerheimer Str. 200, D-51109 Köln, Germany. schildgeno@kliniken-koeln.de
Oliver
O
Schildgen
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D004351:Drug Resistance; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects*
D000998:Antiviral Agents