Three endpoints of antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B

  In a sense, chronic hepatitis B is still an incurable disease. To date, no drug or treatment has been able to achieve negative hepatitis B surface antigen or seroconversion (HBsAg → HBsAb, which largely means complete clearance of the virus) with a high degree of confidence. Of course, some patients can achieve these goals with aggressive antiviral therapy, including a very small percentage of young e antigen-positive (usually called major triple-positive) slow hepatitis B patients, and a very small number of e antigen-negative (minor triple-positive) slow hepatitis B patients who are relatively old; there are also some patients who have gone through a long disease process, even to the stage of cirrhosis or liver cancer, and have spontaneously However, at this time, the disease is close to or has reached the end stage, and the patient has gained little benefit from viral clearance. Therefore, it is more realistic to actively treat the virus and do your best to effectively suppress hepatitis B virus replication from the early stage of the disease than to completely remove the virus.  The hepatitis B virus is the root cause of the development of chronic hepatitis B. Anti-viral therapy is the basis of chronic hepatitis B treatment. The response to antiviral therapy varies from patient to patient depending on a number of conditions, so the goals that can be achieved with antiviral therapy may also vary. Currently, the endpoints of antiviral therapy are identified internationally at three levels.  The first level is the ideal treatment endpoint: the disappearance of HBsAg or seroconversion (with or without the appearance of HBsAb) in patients with either e antigen-positive or e antigen-negative lpB means that the ideal goal is achieved. If this endpoint can be achieved, it will lead to lasting normalization of biochemical indicators (mainly liver function), reduction or disappearance of inflammatory necrosis, and cessation or even reversal of fibrosis progression. The incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is also significantly reduced.  The second level is the satisfactory treatment endpoint: e antigen-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B achieve seroconversion of HBeAg (HBeAg → HBeAb). Antiviral therapy accelerates and facilitates the achievement of HBeAg seroconversion, and the occurrence of seroconversion leads to a durable reduction in HBVDNA levels, reduces liver inflammation and fibrosis, reduces and prevents the development of cirrhosis, and greatly improves the patient’s prognosis. The age at which this goal is achieved is critical to the progression of the disease, and evidence-based medical evidence available both domestically and internationally suggests that achieving this goal before the age of 40 is more conducive to improved prognosis.  The third level is the basic treatment endpoint: for HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients who fail to achieve seroconversion, long-term treatment with nucleoside (acid) analogs to maintain HBVDNA at undetectable levels at all times is the basic treatment endpoint. Serum HBVDNA levels are an important predictor of the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis, and the prognosis of patients can be significantly improved if HBVDNA levels are kept within 104copies/ml.  The three different levels of endpoints require different goals and have different degrees of difficulty in achieving them, but all three have one thing in common, which is to achieve a long-term cure for chronic hepatitis B by maximizing the inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication. The three endpoints have been incisively and vividly summarized: the basic treatment endpoint is less satisfactory (requiring long-term or even lifelong antiviral therapy); the satisfactory treatment endpoint is less desirable (the possibility of reversion to positive after HBeAg seroconversion and the possibility of viral mutation into HBeAg-negative slow hepatitis B); and the desirable treatment endpoint is difficult to achieve (patients who can achieve disappearance and conversion of HBsAg are, after all, a minority). However, for most patients, the benefits of choosing the right time and the right medication, and taking a proactive approach to antiviral therapy will always outweigh the losses and benefits, regardless of the level of treatment endpoint achieved. In fact, the best endpoint for patients with chronic hepatitis B is to achieve a dignified, quality, rewarding, and indefinite life with appropriate treatment and monitoring.