Background: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status is associated with clinical outcomes, and seroconversion of HBeAg is one of the treatment goals. In this study, we determined the association of on-treatment serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients who were receiving entecavir (ETV) treatment.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 135 (78 male and 57 female; mean age, 42.3 ± 13 years) patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Between August 2008 and March 2014, each patient was treated with ETV for at least 96 weeks, and their HBV DNA levels were evaluated every 3-6 months. HBeAg seroclearance at the 96^{th} week was defined as an absence of serum HBeAg within 96 weeks after ETV treatment. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of 96^{th} week HBeAg seroclearance, and a multivariable model was constructed.
Results: Among the 135 ETV-treated HBeAg-positive CHB patients, 37 patients achieved HBeAg seroclearance (Group 1), whereas 98 patients had persistent HBeAg-positive status (Group 2) at the 96^{th} week check-up. The baseline laboratory data was not significantly different between both the two groups. At the 24^{th} and 48^{th} weeks, there were significant differences between Group 1 and Group 2 in the percentage of patients with HBV DNA levels < 20 IU/mL [17/77 (22.1%) and 11/23 (47.8%), p = 0.032; 45/89 (50.6%) and 26/35 (74.3%), p = 0.028, respectively).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that HBV DNA levels < 20 IU/mL at the 24^{th} and 48^{th} weeks could predict serum HBeAg loss in ETV-treated HBeAg-positive patients with CHB.
【저자키워드】 Hepatitis B virus, entecavir, Hepatitis B virus DNA, Hepatitis B e antigen, seroclearance,