Chronic hepatitis B is a progressive disease. It is usually contracted at a young age without significant discomfort and liver function is often normal, which is what we call a hepatitis B carrier. Although a very small number of patients may remain hepatitis B carriers for life, most patients may develop elevated transaminases over a number of years if left untreated, or with elevated bilirubin, which is hepatitis. Further progression may lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. The culprit in the entire disease progression is the hepatitis B virus. The hepatitis B virus destroys our liver cells and triggers inflammation in the liver, which inevitably leads to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer in the process of self-repair. Therefore, antiviral treatment has become a key measure to treat hepatitis B and control the progression of the disease. Some friends may ask: I can use liver-protective drugs to restore normal liver function, do I still need anti-viral? To give you an analogy, the hepatitis B virus is like a robber who invades our homes, burning, killing, robbing and plundering at will, destroying the liver cells, which are our homes. Hepatoprotective medicine is equivalent to building a house and repairing the damage, but if we don’t drive away the robbers by antiviral, the repaired house will be destroyed again. After many repeated destruction-repairs, the house will have many repaired scars, which is liver fibrosis. However, if anti-viral treatment is actively carried out, and then liver-protective drugs are used to repair the damaged liver cells, liver function will be stabilized and the progression of liver disease can be stopped or delayed. Therefore, when your doctor judges that you need antiviral treatment, don’t refuse it as long as the condition allows.