Premium
Long‐term entecavir therapy results in falls in serum hepatitis B surface antigen levels and seroclearance in nucleos(t)ide‐naïve chronic hepatitis B patients
Author(s) -
Hara T.,
Suzuki F.,
Kawamura Y.,
Sezaki H.,
Hosaka T.,
Akuta N.,
Kobayashi M.,
Suzuki Y.,
Saitoh S.,
Arase Y.,
Ikeda K.,
Kobayashi M.,
Watahiki S.,
Mineta R.,
Kumada H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of viral hepatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1365-2893
pISSN - 1352-0504
DOI - 10.1111/jvh.12211
Subject(s) - entecavir , medicine , hepatitis b , chronic hepatitis , gastroenterology , virology , immunology , virus , lamivudine
Summary Entecavir ( ETV ) is reported to result in suppression of hepatitis B virus DNA ( HBV DNA ) replication with minimal drug resistance. However, information on the long‐term effect of such therapy on serum hepatitis B surface antigen ( HB s A g) level and elimination of HB s A g is not available. ETV therapy was started in 553 nucleos(t)ide‐naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B infection ( HB e A g positive: 45%) in our hospital. Serum HB s A g levels were measured serially by the Architect assay. The median baseline HB s A g was 2180 IU/mL (0.12–243 000 IU/mL), and median follow‐up period was 3.0 years, with 529, 475, 355, 247 and 163 patients followed‐up for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, respectively. At year 5, the mean log HB s A g decline from baseline was −0.48 log IU/mL, and the cumulative HB s A g clearance rate was 3.5%. Multivariate analysis identified HBV DNA level at baseline (<3.0 log copies IU/mL, odd ratio = 10.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.87–55.5, P = 0.007) and HBsAg level (<500 IU/mL, odd ratio = 29.4; 95% confidence interval = 2.80–333, P = 0.005) as independent predictors of HB s A g seroclearance. These results indicate that although serum HB s A g level declines gradually during ETV therapy, HB s A g seroclearance remains a rare event.