Hepatitis B core-related antigen levels are associated with response to entecavir and peginterferon add-on therapy in hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients

Tabak, F.
Sonneveld, M. J.
de Knegt, R. J.
Boonstra, A.
Hansen, B. E.
Janssen, H. L. A.
van Campenhout, M. J. H.
Brouwer, W. P.
van Oord, G. W.
Xie, Q.
Zhang, Q.
Zhang, N.
Guo, S.
Streinu-Cercel, A.
Wang, J.
Pas, S. D.

Open link

Publication date

January 2016

DOI

10.1016/j.cmi.2016.02.002

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Journal

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Abstract

Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), a new serum marker, may be useful in monitoring chronic hepatitis B infection. HBcrAg was measured in 175 hepatitis B e antigen-positive patients treated with entecavir (ETV) with or without peginterferon (PEG-IFN) add-on therapy. Decline in HBcrAg was stronger in patients with vs. without combined response (ETV: -3.22 vs. -1.71 log U/mL, p <0.001; PEG-IFN add-on: -3.16 vs. -1.83 IU/mL, p <0.001) and in patients with vs. without hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) response (ETV: -2.60 vs. -1.74 log U/mL, p <0.001; PEG-IFN addon: -2.38 vs. -2.15 log U/mL, p = 0.31). HBcrAg was associated with combined response (adjusted odds ratio 0.3, 95% confidence interval 0.2-0.5, p <0.001), but was not superior...