Abstract
The vaccination program against hepatitis B virus (HBV) has greatly reduced the incidence of HBV infection. However, almost one-fourth of the HBV infected patients worldwide are still located in China. The healthcare burden from chronic HBV infection is a big challenge for the Chinese government and clinicians. Antiviral therapy plays a central role in controlling chronic HBV infection and preventing the disease progression. However, due to the specific economic and medical system issues, the first-line antiviral agents recommended by the AASLD and EASL have not been widely used for Chinese patients. In this review, we will discuss some key issues in the area of antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B in China.
Highlights
There are about 350 million people worldwide suffering from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
Antiviral therapy plays a central role in controlling chronic HBV infection and preventing the disease progression
Based on the information from the guidelines for management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection published by CASLD in 2010, the indications for antiviral therapy are as follows: General indications: (1) For HBeAg positive patients with serum HBV DNA ≥ 105 copies/mL and for HBeAg negative patients with HBV DNA ≥ 104 copies/mL; (2) alanine transaminase (ALT) ≥ 2 upper limit of normal (ULN), but for patients treated with interferon-α (IFN-α), ALT should be ≤10 ULN and the total bilirubin should be
Summary
There are about 350 million people worldwide suffering from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Keywords Chronic hepatitis B · Antiviral therapy · Drug resistance · China
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