THE EXPERIENCE OF ENTECAVIR USE IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATITIS B VIRAL INFECTION ON AN OUTPATIENT BASIS

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy and safety of entecavir in treatment-naïve patients with hepatitis B viral infection.Materials and methods: Based on patient medical documentation, we analyzed the results of clinical, virologic and instrumental assessment of 36 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 6 of whom were HBeAg-positive, and 1 had a highly active progression of acute hepatitis B. Duration of entecavir therapy (at a dose of 0,5–1 mg daily) was 48 weeks.Results: In most patients with chronic hepatitis B, treatment with entecavir, regardless of the HBeAg status, promoted a virologic response (94.4%) and HBeAg serum conversion with anti-HBe formation (83.3%), which was associated with a clinical improvement, normalization of liver enzyme activity, reduction of liver fibrosis by 1 point (assessed by fibroelastometry). There were no changes in serum HBsAg during the antiviral therapy. A clinical case of successful entecavir therapy of hepatitis B viral infection is presented. Conclusion: Entecavir is a highly effective and reliable agent that can suppress viral replication in various forms of acute and chronic hepatitis B viral infection. A relatively rapid recurrence of viral replication after withdrawal of the drug justifies further research to optimize treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Keywords

• acute hepatitis b
• chronic hepatitis b
• treatment
• entecavir