Clinical and Molecular Hepatology  2013;19(4):409-416

doi:10.3350/cmh.2013.19.4.409

HBsAg level and clinical course in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleoside analogue: five years of follow-up data.

Jeong Han KIM 1 ; Yun Jung CHOI ; Hee Won MOON ; Soon Young KO ; Won Hyeok CHOE ; So Young KWON

Affiliations

+expand

Keywords

HBsAg; Chronic hepatitis B; Lamivudine; Entecavir; Resistance

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: 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.