Serum HBsAg levels during peginterferon α-2a treatment with or without thymosin α-1 in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients

✍ Scribed by Eun Young Song; Yunsu Shin; Eun Youn Roh; Shin Sue; Myoung Hee Park; Bo Hyun Kim; Won Kim; Jung-Hwan Yoon; Youn-Jae Lee; Sung Jae Park; Eun Uk Jung; Jeong-Hoon Lee; Sun Jung Myung; Yoon-Jun Kim; Hyo-Suk Lee

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 249 KB
• Volume: 83
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21961

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The importance of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) level as a surrogate marker for viral load and a predictor of treatment response remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum HBsAg correlates with serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA during peginterferon (PEG‐IFN) α‐2a treatment (with or without thymosin α‐1) in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients and whether it can predict treatment response. Sera from 37 HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients receiving 48‐weeks PEG‐IFN α‐2a with (n = 20) or without (n = 17) an initial 12‐weeks thymosin α‐1 were obtained at baseline and at weeks 12, 24, 36, 48 (end of treatment), 56, 72, 84, and 96 (end of follow‐up). Taqman HBV DNA tests (Roche) and Architect HBsAg QT (Abbott) were performed. There was a moderate correlation between the HBsAg and HBV DNA levels (r = 0.452, P < 0.001). Median HBsAg levels at baseline and at week 96 were 6,218 IU/ml and 4,038 IU/ml, respectively. The mean HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were 7.48 log~10~ IU/ml and 173 IU/L at baseline and 5.37 log~10~ IU/ml and 102 IU/L at week 96, respectively. A decrease to <60% of baseline levels of HBsAg at week 12 was identified as an independent predictive factor for HBeAg seroconversion (OR = 45.7, P < 0.05) at week 96. Serum HBsAg levels may be helpful for predicting the response to PEG‐IFN therapy in HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients. J. Med. Virol. 83:88–94, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.