title: Treatment of chronic hepatitis B: update of the recommendations from the 2007 Italian Workshop.
abstract: The Italian recommendations for the therapy of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related disease were issued in 2008. Subsequently in 2008 the nucleotide analogue (NA) Tenofovir was approved for antiviral treatment. The introduction of this important new drug has called for the current guidelines update, which includes some additional revisions: (a) the indication for therapy is extended to mild liver fibrosis and the indication for treatment is graded as "possible", "optional" or "mandatory" according to the fibrosis stage; (b) two different treatment strategies are described: first line definite duration treatment with interferon, long-term treatment of indefinite duration with NA; (c) the indication to follow either strategy is also based on the stage of liver fibrosis; (d) virological monitoring is modified to include the definitions of failure and of sustained virological response to interferon therapy; (e) the recommendation to use HBV DNA assays with high sensitivity and wide linear ranges is underlined (f) guidelines on post-treatment follow-up after finite treatment with NA, potential side effects of therapy and non-virological monitoring are defined; (g) definitions and treatment of patients without optimal response to NA are reported; (f) treatment and monitoring of compensated or decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are updated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. carosi@bsnet.it
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carosi
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzetto
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cariti
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Craxì
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Filice
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levrero
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mazzotta
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piccinino
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prati
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raimondo
authors.forename: Evangelista
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sagnelli
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toti
authors.forename: Maurizia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunetto
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lampertico
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marzano
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pollicino
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puoti
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Santantonio
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smedile
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000628:therapy; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007558:Italy; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D063065:Organophosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068698:Tenofovir
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D063065:Organophosphonates; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D007372:Interferons; D000068698:Tenofovir; D000225:Adenine