Nucleos(t)ide analog-naive CHB patients with advanced fibrosis in histological findings (stage ≥F3), high viral load (hepatitis B virus DNA ≥2,000 IU/ml), and normal liver enzyme levels (<2 × upper normal limit) before starting antiviral treatment were included in this study.
We retrospectively studied 31 consecutive treatment-naive patients who were switched to ETV 1.0 mg daily after partial response [reduction of HBVDNA ≥2 log10 IU/mL but with detectable HBV DNA levels (>100 IU/mL) after 24 weeks of therapy or longer] with ETV 0.5 mg daily from January 2005 to January 2010 at 2 clinics.
HDV-coinfected cases showed significantly lower median levels of serum HBV DNA (-5 log), intrahepatic relaxed-circular DNA (-2 log), and cccDNA (-2 log) than those of HBV-monoinfected cases.
The molecular characterization of an HBV mutant isolated from an HBeAg-negative patient with severe CLD required amplification of the circulating HBVDNA (2 pg/ml) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).