On-treatment HBV RNA Dynamic Predicts Entecavir-induced HBeAg Seroconversion in Children with Chronic Hepatitis B

Despite preventive vaccination programs, significant numbers of children worldwide remain at risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developing chronic hepatitis B (CHB)1. Adults CHB patients have a 15 to 25% risk of dying from HBV-related liver disease, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)2. Instead during childhood and adolescence: Until reaching adulthood the risk of CHB patients developing cirrhosis or HCC is 3 to 5% and 0.01 to 0.03%, respectively3. Although host factors (e.g., sex, age, race, and family history) and viral factors (e.g., viral load, genotype, mutation, and co-infection) are known risk factors for HCC4, predicting which types of chronic HBV-infected children should receive treatment remains difficult.
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research