title: Predictive factors for the response to lamivudine in HBV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine predictors for virological response to lamivudine, a retrospective-cohort study was designed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy HBV positive patients who received lamivudine were classified according to virological response into responders and non-responders. Background conditions and normalization and flare-up of hepatitis were compared using student-t test and chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of explanatory variables, age, sex, ALT, HBV-DNA, hepatic fibrosisi, presence of absence of HBeAg, former IF non-response on the response to lamivudine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no difference in gender, age, observed period, ALT level, liver fibrosis, former response to Interferon in background but viral titer and rate of HBeAg (+) was higher in non-responders. Hepatitis normalization rates were not different but flare-up rates were significantly higher in non-responders. Multivariate analysis showed HBeAg is the relevant factor for the response to lamivudine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of HBeAg was a risk for non-response to lamivudine therapy.
authors.affiliation: Digestive and Liver Disease Center, Tokai University Tokyo Hospital, 1-2-5 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 153-0065, Japan. y-nishizaki@tok.u-tokai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishizaki
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morizane
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: Fumitoshi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morino
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Tatehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kagawa
authors.forename: Norihito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D005260:Female; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine