title: The factors associated with longitudinal changes in liver stiffness in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Liver stiffness (LS) as assessed by transient elastography (TE) can change longitudinally in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to identify the factors that improve LS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 2007 and December 2012, 151 patients with CHB who underwent two TE procedures with an interval of about 2 years were enrolled. Ninety-six of the 151 patients were treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues [the antiviral therapy (+) group], while the remaining 55 patients were not [the antiviral therapy (-) group]. The two groups of patients were stratified according to whether they exhibited an improvement or a deterioration in LS during the study period (defined as an LS change of ≤0 or >0 kPa, respectively, over a 1-year period), and their data were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences were observed between the antiviral therapy (+) and (-) groups with respect to either their clinical characteristics or their initial LS. The observed LS improvement was significantly greater in the antiviral therapy (+) group than in the antiviral therapy (-) group (-3.0 vs. 0.98 kPa, P=0.011). In the antiviral therapy (+) group, the initial LS was higher in the LS improvement group (n=63) than in the LS deterioration group (n=33; 7.9 vs. 4.8 kPa, P<0.001). However, there were no differences in any other clinical characteristic. In the antiviral therapy (-) group, the initial LS was also higher in the LS improvement group (n=29) than in the LS deterioration group (n=26; 8.3 vs. 6.5 kPa, P=0.021), with no differences in any other clinical characteristic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher initial LS was the only factor associated with LS improvement in patients with CHB in this study.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: In Ku
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Yo
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Oh Sang
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Joon
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: In Sik
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Won
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Pil Kyu
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Pyung Hwa
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Duck Joo
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Ju Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Hepatic fibrosis; Liver stiffness; Transient elastography
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