The efficacy of antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients with hepatic steatosis
Danqing Hu,
Peng Wang,
Xiaojing Wang,
Xue Hu,
Da Huang,
Weiming Yan,
Dong Xi,
Meifang Han,
Qin Ning,
Hongwu Wang
Affiliations
Danqing Hu
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Peng Wang
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Xiaojing Wang
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Xue Hu
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Da Huang
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Weiming Yan
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Dong Xi
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China
Meifang Han
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China; Corresponding author.
Qin Ning
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China; Corresponding author.
Hongwu Wang
Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; National Medical Center for Major Public Health Events, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases, Wuhan, China; Corresponding author. Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Background & aims: With a drastic increase in the number of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with coexisting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there is an urgent need to evaluate antiviral treatment effects in this special population. Methods: CHB patients with hepatic steatosis (CHB + HS) were prospectively recruited with followed-up of 3 years. HS and liver fibrosis were assessed by transient elastography. HS was defined as controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) ≥248 dB/m, and fibrosis progression was defined with ≥1-stage fibrosis increment. Multivariate and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis were used to evaluate antiviral therapy effects on fibrosis progression. Results: In total 212 recruited CHB + HS patients (median age 36 years, median ALT 59 U/L), 49.1% (104/212) received antiviral therapy and 50.9% (108/212) did not. Among patients with antiviral therapy, rates of serum HBV DNA undetectable, HBeAg and HBsAg loss, and ALT normalization at year 3 were 88.5%, 31.0%, 8.7% and 70.2%, respectively. Patients with mild-moderate HS didn't differ patients with severe HS regarding biochemical and virological responses. Antiviral therapy was independently associated with a lower risk of fibrosis progression among the entire cohort (odds ratio 0.473, 95% CI 0.245–0.911, P = 0.025). This finding was further verified by PSM analysis. When stratified by the severity of HS, the antiviral therapy benefits in reducing fibrosis progression were mainly seen in patients with mild-moderate HS. Conclusions: Among CHB + HS patients, long-term antiviral treatment effectively inhibits HBV replication and reduces fibrosis progression. Our findings have implications for the optimal management of this population.
