Hope-For-HepB Top10 September 2008
Weinbaum CM, Williams I, Mast EE, Wang SA, Finelli L, Wasley A, Neitzel SM, Ward JW; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
MMWR Recomm Rep. 2008;57(RR-8):1-20.
Rating & Commentary
** Updated CDC recommendation stating that in addition to previously described risk groups for hepatitis B virus infection, screening for HBsAg is now also recommended in persons born in geographic regions with HBsAg prevalence of >/=2%, men who have sex with men, and injection-drug users.
Durante AJ, St Louis T, Meek JI, Navarro VJ, Sofair AN.
Conn Med. 2008;72(7):389-92.
Rating & Commentary
* Detailed study assessing death certificates showing that the sensitivity for chronic liver disease as cause of death was low (36%) and could be improved by adding selected ICD-10 codes. This study confirms that the burden of chronic liver disease is probably underestimated.
Bialek SR, Bower WA, Novak R, Helgenberger L, Auerbach SB, Williams IT, Bell BP.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2008;27(10):881-885..
Rating & Commentary
* Study in 105 children who were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus at birth showing that after 15 years 8% had evidence of past HBV infection and none were HBsAg positive.
Yuen MF, Wong DK, Fung J, Ip P, But D, Hung I, Lau K, Yuen JC, Lai CL.
Gastroenterology. 2008 Jul 16; Epub ahead of print.
Rating & Commentary
* Large study in 298 chronic hepatitis B virus infected patients showing that seroclearance of HBsAg below the age of 50 is associated with a lower chance of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. The median of HBsAg clearance was 49.6 years, although HBV persisted at low replicative and transcriptional levels.
Schiff E, Simsek H, Lee WM, Chao YC, Sette Jr H, Janssen HL, Han SH, Goodman Z, Yang J, Brett-Smith H, Tamez R.
Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Aug 21; Epub ahead of print.
Rating & Commentary
* Retrospective analysis of entecavir and lamivudine therapy in 1,633 chronic hepatitis B virus infected patients of whom 245 had advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. Higher rates of improvement of fibrosis were observed with entecavir than lamivudine among HBeAg-positive (57% vs. 49%) and HBeAg-negative naïve patients (59% vs. 53%), as well as lamivudine-resistant patients (43% vs. 33%).
The German guideline for the management of hepatitis B virus infection: short version.
Cornberg M, Protzer U, Dollinger MM, Petersen J, Wedemeyer H, Berg T, Jilg W, Erhardt A, Wirth S, Schirmacher P, Fleig WE, Manns MP; German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases; German Society for Pathology; Society for Virology; Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; Competence Network for Viral Hepatitis.
J Viral Hepat. 2008;15 Suppl 1:1-21.
Rating & Commentary
* New German guideline for the management of hepatitis B virus infection.
Economic benefits of hepatitis B vaccination at sexually transmitted disease clinics in the U.S.
Miriti MK, Billah K, Weinbaum C, Subiadur J, Zimmerman R, Murray P, Gunn R, Buffington J.
Public Health Rep. 2008;123(4):504-13.
Rating & Commentary
* Study showing that the net economic benefit of routine hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination of all patients attending US sexually transmitted disease clinics in a single year would be $526 million including the indirect costs of lost productivity due to HBV infection.
Adefovir dipivoxil is effective for the treatment of cirrhotic patients with lamivudine failure.
Zoulim F, Parvaz P, Marcellin P, Zarski JP, Beaugrand M, Benhamou Y, Bailly F, Maynard M, Trepo C, Trylesinski A, Monchecourt F; the VIRESPA study group.
Liver Int. 2008 Sep 15; Epub ahead of print.
Rating & Commentary
* Study in 68 lamivudine-resistance chronic hepatitis B patients with liver cirrhosis confirming that adefovir provided effective and safe treatment in this patient group as well, with HBV DNA <2000 copies/ml in 41% and normal ALT in 55% of patients after a median treatment duration of 12.6 months.
Sasadeusz J, Audsley J, Mijch A, Baden R, Caro J, Hunter H, Matthews G, McMahon MA, Olender SA, Siliciano RF, Lewin SR, Thio CL.
AIDS. 2008;22(8):947-55.
Rating & Commentary
* Small study in 17 HBV-HIV coinfected patients confirming that entecavir treatment results in a decline in HIV RNA and emergence of the M184V mutation. Entecavir should thus only be used in HBV-HIV coinfected patients with concomitant antiretroviral therapy.
Marcellin P, Chang TT, Lim SG, Sievert W, Tong M, Arterburn S, Borroto-Esoda K, Frederick D, Rousseau F.
Hepatology. 2008;48(3):750-758.
Rating & Commentary
* Long-term follow-up study in 65 HBeAg positive patients treated with adefovir for up to 5 years showing that HBeAg loss and seroconversion were observed in 58% and 48% of patients. Antiviral resistance was observed in 20% of patients.