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Pretreatment HBeAg level and an early decrease in HBeAg level predict virologic response to entecavir treatment for
1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Journal of Viral Hepatitis
|January 14, 2012
Summary
Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) levels and their early reduction predict treatment success in patients receiving entecavir. Lower baseline HBeAg and a significant drop by week 12 indicate a higher likelihood of achieving a virologic response.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Limited data exists on Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) kinetics during nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy.
- Entecavir is a commonly used nucleos(t)ide analogue for treating chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in HBeAg levels during entecavir treatment.
- To evaluate the utility of HBeAg quantification in predicting antiviral response (virologic response, Y1VR).
Main Methods:
- Ninety-five HBeAg-positive patients receiving entecavir for over 48 weeks were analyzed.
- Serum HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA levels were monitored at regular intervals.
- Y1VR was defined as undetectable HBV DNA at week 48.
Main Results:
- HBeAg and HBV DNA levels decreased significantly in a biphasic manner over 48 weeks.
- Fifty-five point eight percent of patients achieved Y1VR.
- Lower pretreatment HBeAg levels and a reduction >1.0 log(10) at week 12 were associated with Y1VR, showing higher predictive value than HBV DNA levels.
Conclusions:
- Pretreatment HBeAg levels are a significant predictor of one-year virologic response to entecavir.
- Early reduction in HBeAg levels by week 12 is a valuable marker for predicting treatment outcomes.
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