Early hepatitis B viral DNA clearance predicts treatment response at week 96

Abstract

AIMTo investigate whether hepatitis viral DNA load at 24 wk of treatment predicts response at 96 wk in patients with chronic hepatitis B.METHODSA total of 172 hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients who received initial treatment at 16 tertiary hospitals in Hunan Province, China were enrolled in this study. All patients received conventional doses of lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, telbivudine, entecavir dispersible tablets, or entecavir tablets for 96 wk. Patients who used other antiviral drugs or antitumor and immune regulation therapy were excluded. Patients were stratified into three groups according to their viral DNA load at 24 wk: < 10 IU/mL (group 1), 10-103 IU/mL (group 2), and > 103 IU/mL (group 3). Correlations of 24-wk DNA load with HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion at 96 wk were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the predictive value of the HBV DNA load at 24 wk for long-term response.RESULTSThe rates of conversion to HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion rates were 53.7% and 51.9%, respectively, in group 1; 35.21% and 32.39% in group 2; and 6.38% and 6.38% in group 3. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the three subgroups revealed that the lowest DNA load (< 10 IU/mL) was better correlated with response at 96 wk than a higher DNA load (10-103 IU/mL). Nested PCR was used for amplifying and sequencing viral DNA in patients with a viral DNA load > 200 IU/mL at 96 wk; resistance mutations involving different loci were present in 26 patients, and three of these patients had a viral DNA load 10-103 IU/mL at 96 wk.CONCLUSIONHepatitis B viral DNA load at 24 wk of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B is a predictor of the viral load and response rate at 96 wk.

Treatment Outcome in Hepatitis B-Positive Patients Attending a Selected Clinic in Baringo County of Kenya

“…The use of combination therapies with high potency therefore seems useful in averting drug resistance and should be applied in chronic Hepatitis B therapy. Our study concurs with other authorships which proposed that patients with an undetectable HBV DNA level after antiviral therapy could have high HBeAg seroconversion rates and low drug resistance (Fu et al, 2017).…”

Baseline serum miR‑125b levels predict virologic response to nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment in patients with HBeAg‑positive chronic hepatitis B

“…Previous studies have identified multiple predictors of NA treatment outcome, including pre-treatment alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, HBV DNA level during treatment and HBsAg, HBeAg and anti- Hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) antibody levels ( 12 – 19 ); however, the predictive value of serum miR-125b level for NA treatment response is unknown. The aim of the present study was to assess whether miR-125b expression, alone or in combination with other parameters, is an effective predictor of complete remission (CR) following 44 weeks of Nas therapy (CR is defined as HBV DNA <500 IU/ml and HBeAg seroconversion) in patients with CHB.…”

Blood Levels of Glutamine and Nitrotyrosine in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis

“… 36 In patients with chronic hepatitis B, the DNA load predicts response of treatment. 37 Similarly, in hepatitis C patients, the RNA load predicts response of treatment and low levels of quantifiable HCV RNA at end of treatment do not exclude treatment success. 38 The current study showed poor correlations between the viral loads or HBsAg level and blood GLN or NT levels in the untreated and treated HV groups.…”