Hepatitis B: a strategy for evaluation and management

Hesham M Elgouhari1, Tarek I Abu-Rajab Tamimi, William Carey

  • 1University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Avera Center for Liver Disease/Transplant Institute, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.

In hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a single approach to treatment cannot be applied to all patients. Acute, adult-acquired HBV infection rarely requires treatment, whereas treatment for chronic infection should be based on the patient's clinical situation and test results. The ideal agent for treating hepatitis B does not exist, and trade-offs are the essence of agent selection. In last month's Journal (Cleve Clin J Med 2008; 75:881-889), we outlined the natural history and diagnosis of chronic HBV infection; in this article we outline its management.

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