Telbivudine protects against renal impairment in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection

It has been reported that treatment with telbivudine might be associated with a significant improvement of renal function in patients with chronic hepatitis B. To confirm this finding, a systematic literature review was conducted. Four online databases (PubMed, CNKI/FMJS, Ovid and SpringerLink) were searched. Serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate and estimated glomerular filtration rate changes from baseline to the end of the treatment were analyzed. A total of seven full-text articles and 13 abstracts with sample sizes ranging from 15 to 689 patients fulfilled the selection criteria for review. The results showed that long-term treatment with telbivudine, either as monotherapy or combined with other nucleos(t)ide analogs, can significantly improve renal function in chronic hepatitis B patients, particularly those at high risk of renal impairment.