Novel Maintenance Therapy with Lamivudine in Patients with Chronic Active Viral Hepatitis B.
- Author:
Sung Pyo HONG
1
;
Chang Il KWON
;
June Sung LEE
;
Kyung Chul KIM
;
Sung Kyu HWANG
;
Pil Won PARK
;
Gyu Sung RIM
;
Sehyun KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Pundang CHA Hospital, Pochon CHA University College of Medicine, Sungnam, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Hepatitis/Viral/Chronic viral hepatitis B;
Lamivudine;
Maintenance therapy
- MeSH:
Follow-Up Studies;
Hepatitis B e Antigens;
Hepatitis B*;
Hepatitis*;
Humans;
Interferons;
Lamivudine*;
Moths
- From:The Korean Journal of Hepatology
2000;6(3):301-310
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was conducted to determine the effect of novel long-term maintenance treatment with lamivudine by gradual lengthening of the medication interval in patients with chronic active viral hepatitis B. METHOD: All patients were non-responder, relapsed or intolerable patients to previous interferon therapy. Patients were divided into a drug-interval changing study and a daily continual medication control group. Drug-interval changing protocol with gradual lengthening of the medication interval after conversion to undetectable HBV-DNA in serum and reduction of serum aminotransferase to normal level was monitored monthly. RESULTS: Before treatment, 15 patients of the drug-interval change group and 11 patients of the daily medication group were similar in laboratory and pathologic findings. Mean follow-up periods were 12.8 moths and 11.4 months respectively. HBeAg seroconversion rate was higher in patients in the daily medication group (86.7% vs. 40.0%, p<0.05). The odds of loss of HBeAg, development of anti-HBe, and suppression of HBV-DNA are about 11 times, 7 times, and 8 times higher in the drug-interval change group compared with the daily medication group, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Drug-interval lengthening method was effective in long-term suppression of viral replication with low cost.
