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Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) decrease and serum interferon-inducible protein-10 levels as predictive markers
Jerzy Jaroszewicz1, Huy Ho, Antoaneta Markova
1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Antiviral Therapy
|September 9, 2011
Summary
Predicting Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is key for personalized antiviral therapy. A strong decrease in HBsAg after achieving viral response, not early in treatment, predicts HBsAg clearance in chronic hepatitis B patients on nucleoside/nucleotide analogues.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is the primary goal of antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B.
- Predicting HBsAg loss aids in tailoring treatment strategies for individual patients.
- Limited data exist on quantitative HBsAg (qHBsAg) kinetics during nucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA) treatment and the role of interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors predicting HBsAg loss in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
- To analyze the kinetics of qHBsAg during NA therapy.
- To evaluate the association of serum IP-10 levels with HBsAg loss.
Main Methods:
- Quantified HBsAg in 126 chronic hepatitis B patients, with 95 on NA treatment.
- Assessed HBsAg decrease patterns (strong, moderate, none) at early (6 months) and late (after virological response) time points.
- Analyzed serum IP-10 levels in 55 patients alongside conventional parameters.
Main Results:
- Early and late HBsAg kinetics were not correlated.
- A strong late decrease (>0.5 log(10)) in HBsAg after virological response was associated with 42% HBsAg loss; no HBsAg loss occurred without this late decrease.
- Early HBsAg decrease did not predict HBsAg loss, while baseline IP-10 levels correlated with late HBsAg kinetics and were highest in patients achieving HBsAg loss.
Conclusions:
- Monitoring qHBsAg after achieving virological response is valuable for predicting HBsAg loss and guiding finite NA treatment.
- The potential of IP-10 as a predictive marker for HBsAg loss warrants further investigation.
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