Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Measurement of the Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient and Transjugular Liver Biopsy
Published on: June 18, 2020
Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis B Prevents Liver Injury in Patients With Tuberculosis and Hepatitis B Coinfection
Grace C Y Lui1,2, Ngai-Sze Wong2, Rity Y K Wong1
1Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
Background:
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection increases the risk of liver injury in patients who undergo antituberculosis treatment. It is uncertain whether antiviral treatment for HBV at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis would reduce the risk of liver injury.
Methods:
We performed a population-level, retrospective, cohort study that involved all patients with tuberculosis-HBV coinfection treated in public hospitals in Hong Kong over a 16-year period. Patients who received antiviral treatment at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis were considered "patients on antiviral therapy." A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the adjusted hazard ratio of hospitalization due to drug-induced liver injury within 1 year in patients on antiviral therapy, adjusting for the propensity score.
Results:
Of 3698 patients with tuberculosis-HBV coinfection, 488 (13.2%) were patients on antiviral therapy. Of the remaining 3210 patients, 446 (13.9%) started antiviral therapy within 1 year of tuberculosis diagnosis. Adjusting for the propensity score, patients on antiviral therapy had a lower risk of hospitalization due to drug-induced liver injury compared with those not on treatment (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval .26-.72). Compared with patients who started antiviral therapy within 1 year of tuberculosis diagnosis, patients on antiviral therapy also had a lower risk of hospitalization due to drug-induced liver injury and a lower risk of liver-related mortality.
Conclusions:
We show that antiviral treatment for HBV given at the time of tuberculosis diagnosis reduced the risk of liver injury in tuberculosis-HBV coinfected patients.
Related Concept Videos
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Hepatic Portal System
At its core, the hepatic portal vein is the result of a confluence of the superior and inferior mesenteric veins along with the splenic vein. Each of these veins has a unique role. The superior mesenteric vein is...
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters

