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C ASE R EPORT : Dramatic response to lamivudine therapy following corticosteroid priming in chronic hepatitis B
Author(s) -
Liaw YunFan,
Chien RongNan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1746.1999.01960.x
Subject(s) - medicine , lamivudine , prednisolone , seroconversion , corticosteroid , gastroenterology , immunology , hepatitis b virus , virus
A 21 year‐old male patient with chronic hepatitis B was treated with lamivudine 150 mg daily after withdrawal of a short course of oral prednisolone (30 mg daily for 3 weeks, 15 mg daily for 1 week). Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐DNA increased during prednisolone pretherapy and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was increasing after withdrawal of prednisolone. Clearance of HBV‐DNA with hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion and ALT normalization occurred within 2 months after starting lamivudine therapy. If this dramatic response to lamivudine therapy after corticosteroid priming is confirmed by further studies, the regimens used in this particular case might become a powerful therapeutic tool for chronic HBV infection.