HBsAg level and clinical course in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleoside analogue: five years of follow-up data.
OBJECTIVE
Quantification of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is increasingly used to determine the treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, there are limited data about the clinical implications of Quantification of HBsAg long-term nucleoside analogue treatment for CHB. We investigated the clinical correlation between HBsAg level and clinical course in patients with CHB who are treated long-term with nucleoside analogues.


METHODS
Patients with CHB who started lamivudine or entecavir monotherapy before June 2007 were enrolled. HBsAg was quantified at baseline, at 6 months, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of treatment. We compared data between the groups according to the presence or absence of a virological response (VR) and resistance.


RESULTS
Forty-eight patients were analyzed. There was no definite reduction in HBsAg level during the early period of treatment; differences in HBsAg levels between baseline and each time point were significant only at 5 years (P=0.028). In a subgroup analysis, this difference was significant only in non-resistant patients at 5 years (P=0.041).


CONCLUSIONS
There was no definite decrease in the HBsAg level during the early period of nucleoside analogue treatment, with long-term treatment being required to observe a significant reduction.
Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jeong Han
JH
Kim
Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yun Jung
YJ
Choi
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hee Won
HW
Moon
Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Soon Young
SY
Ko
Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Won Hyeok
WH
Choe
Digestive Disease Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
So Young
SY
Kwon
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D019259:Lamivudine; C413685:entecavir; D006147:Guanine
Chronic hepatitis B; Entecavir; HBsAg; Lamivudine; Resistance