The Risk of Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation in HBsAg-Negative and Anti-HBc-Positive Patients Receiving Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists

We have read the study by Pauly et  al1 with great interest. They collected data from 8887 adults treated with anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs for autoimmune diseases and examined hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation among 4620 patients who had baseline HBV testing. Among 23 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive pati ents, 9 had HBV reactivations. They reported no reactivation among 178 HBsAg-negative/antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc)–positive patients, and suggested that this group should not receive prophylactic antiviral therapy.
Source: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research