Viral load and prognosis in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients after initial treatment with tenofovir

Objective To investigate the antiviral effect of tenofovir (TDF) on patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B after initial treatment. Methods From October 2017 to December 2017, 174 cases with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B from Suzhou Fifth People’s Hospital were selected. They were divided into TDF group (90 cases) and entecavir (ETV) group (84 cases) . The serological conversion of HBeAg, HBV DNA level and its negative rate, ALT level and its normality were compared between the two groups. Results The negative conversion rates of HBeAg in TDF group were slightly higher than those in ETV group after 4-, 12-, 24- and 48-week treatment, with no significant differences (P>0.05) . There were no significant differences in HBV DNA level, HBV DNA negative conversion rate, ALT level and ALT normalization rate between TDF group and ETV group at each time point of treatment (P>0.05) . Conclusions TDF is similar to ETV in inhibiting the activity of HBV and becoming negative of HBeAg. TDF has good efficacy in the initial treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B, and is worthy for clinical practice. Key words: Hepatitis B, chronic; Tenofovir; Entecavir; HBV DNA; ALT