Histopathological evaluation of long-term tenofovir disoproxil fumarate treatment in patients with hepatitis be antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B
Bahri Abayli 1 , Cansu Abaylı 1 , Genco Gencdal 2
Affiliations
Affiliations
1
Seyhan Devlet Hastanesi, Adana 090, Turkey.
2
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Koc University, School of Medicine, İstanbul 34300, Turkey. [email protected].
Background: Hepatitis B virus is a universal health problem. There are approximately 250 million people living with hepatitis B worldwide, and approximately 600000 of these people die every year due to the virus.
Aim: To compare the pretreatment and post-treatment histopathological results of patients with hepatitis be antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who had been receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment at our clinic for at least 5 years.
Methods: Patients with HBeAg-negative CHB who were being treated with TDF (245 mg/d) were included in the study. Liver biopsies of patients before TDF treatment and liver biopsies after 5 years of TDF treatment were retrospectively compared.
Results: A total of 50 HBeAg-negative CHB patients were included in the study (mean age: 47.9 ± 10.4 years, men: 27.54%). Histological improvement was observed in 78% (39) of the patients after 5 years of treatment. After the 5 years of treatment, the mean Ishak score of the patients was 1.3 ± 1.3, and the mean histologic activity index score was 4.1 ± 2.8. A 1.53 point reduction in Ishak fibrosis score was detected after long-term TDF treatment.
Conclusion: Liver biopsies after 5 years of TDF treatment revealed a significant histological response and a regression of the necroinflammatory score compared to pretreatment liver biopsies. To better understand the effects of antiviral treatments on the improvement of liver histology, long-term studies involving larger numbers of patients are needed.