TY - JOUR
TI - Kinetics of quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen in patients with rheumatic disease and chronic hepatitis B receiving biologic agents
AU - Koutsianas, C.
AU - Hadziyannis, E.
AU - Thomas, K.
AU - Deutsch, M.
AU - Vassilopoulos, D.
JO - Journal of Viral Hepatitis
PY - 2021
VL - 28
TODO - 12
SP - 1710-1718
PB - John Wiley and Sons Inc
SN - 1352-0504, 1365-2893
TODO - 10.1111/jvh.13610
TODO - antivirus agent;  hepatitis B surface antigen;  hepatitis B(e) antigen;  virus DNA, chronic hepatitis B;  genetics;  Hepatitis B virus;  human;  kinetics;  rheumatic disease, Antiviral Agents;  DNA, Viral;  Hepatitis B e Antigens;  Hepatitis B Surface Antigens;  Hepatitis B virus;  Hepatitis B, Chronic;  Humans;  Kinetics;  Rheumatic Diseases
TODO - The effect of biologic treatment on quantitative Hepatitis B surface Antigen (qHBsAg) levels and HBsAg clearance in rheumatic patients with chronic HBV infection has not been well studied. We prospectively followed rheumatic patients with HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infection (n = 28) treated with biologics and oral antivirals, categorized into patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB, group A n = 13) and chronic HBV infection (group B n = 15) and matched them to appropriate non-rheumatic controls. qHBsAg kinetics were serially measured and compared between groups. No HBV reactivation (HBVr) was recorded during the 108.25 patient-year follow-up. Among patients with CHB, the annual rapid qHBsAg decline (i.e. decline >0.5 log10 IU/mL/year) as well as HBsAg clearance did not differ between rheumatic patients [n = 4 (32.7%), n = 1 (7.7%)] and controls [n = 6 (28.4%), p =.726 and n = 2 (7.7%), p =.818, respectively]. In contrast, there was a slower annual qHBsAg decline in rheumatic patients with chronic HBV compared to non-rheumatic controls (−0.04 vs −0.13 log10 IU/mL at year 1, p =.019) with no cases of rapid qHBsAg decline or HBsAg clearance in rheumatic patients (0%) compared to a cumulative incidence of 24% and a rate of 20%, respectively in controls. In biologic-treated rheumatic patients with HBeAg-negative HBV receiving antiviral prophylaxis, there was slower qHBsAg decline, lower cumulative rates of rapid qHBsAg decline and HBsAg clearance compared to non-rheumatic controls. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
ER -