[Chronic hepatitis B treatment]

Clinical practice guidelines for the management of chronic hepatitis B infection continue to evolve from year to year but the goal remains the same, i.e. long-term continued suppression of viral replication to prevent disease progression and development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Out of seven drugs approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, current guidelines recommend entecavir and tenofovir from the nucleos(t)ide analogues and pegylated interferon alfa-2a for the selected group of patients as first-line monotherapies. Both groups showed good results in a number of clinical trials and are used according to the consensus criteria. The treatment of special populations with chronic HBV infection, i.e. those with HCV/HDV/HIV co-infections, immunocompromised patients, patients who have undergone transplantation, patients with solid tumor and cirrhosis, patients with chronic renal failure on dialysis, pregnant women and children, is more often required and more demanding than for usual chronic hepatitis B.