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Tag Archives: antiviral treatment

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

Expert Calls for Viral Load Testing in All Pregnant Women with Hepatitis B

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Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, talks to parents.
Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, talks to parents.

Today, all pregnant women are routinely screened for hepatitis B, but a growing number of doctors say this single test doesn’t go far enough to protect the health of women and children.

In a commentary published in the medical journal Pediatrics,  infectious disease specialist Dr. Ravi Jhaveri calls for a mandatory second test in pregnant women infected with hepatitis B. This test would measure the amount of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in her body (called viral load).

When women have high viral loads, their newborns can become infected even if they are immunized at birth and treated with HBIG (hepatitis B antibodies) to prevent infection. Continue reading "Expert Calls for Viral Load Testing in All Pregnant Women with Hepatitis B" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review April 2015

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ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Half of Patients with HBV Genotype C Will Lose HBsAg
  • Five-year Study Shows Tenofovir Dramatically Improves Cirrhosis
  • Tenofovir Also Effective Against Adefovir and Multi-drug Resistance
  • Tenofovir Is Effective in Pregnant Women Who Have Resistance to Other Drugs
  • Estimates of Liver Cirrhosis in the U.S. Jump 50%
  • Taking Antivirals for Three Years After Undetectable Viral Load Reduces Relapse Risk
  • Study Finds Antivirals Can Replace Costly HBIG after Liver Transplant Surgery
  • Hospitalized Hepatitis B Patients Have Higher Death Rates and Longer Stays Than Hepatitis C Patients
  • Small Study Finds Psoriasis Treatment May Not Reactivate Hepatitis B
  • Emulsion Made from Ginkgo Leaves Shows Promise Against Hepatitis B
  • Experimental Treatment Boosts the Immune System and Slows Viral Replication
  • HIV-HBV Coinfected Patients Have High Rates of Hip Fractures

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review April 2015" →

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

AASLD 2014 Liver Meeting – HBV Coverage

Unknown-5Get HBV Advocate’s Christine Kukka’s take on the top HBV related, published reports from the AASLD Liver Meeting as she provides her Top Ten List! 

 

Top Ten Reports from the 65th Annual Liver Meeting
By Christine M. Kukka, HBV Advocate 

Hepatitis B experts from around the world met at the 65th annual American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) conference in Washington D.C. this week to share the latest in hepatitis B treatment and research.

  1.  Which combination of antivirals and interferon works best against hepatitis B
  2. Tenofovir continues to excel with no signs of drug resistance after eight years
  3. Tenofovir treatment is safe over an entire pregnancy for both mother and child
  4. Tenofovir and entecavir combination successful against drug-resistant HBV
  5. Who remains at risk for hepatitis B in the U.S.?
  6. Antivirals appear to lower liver cancer risk
  7. But antivirals don’t reduce cancer risk in older patients with cirrhosis
  8. How long do patients have to keep taking antivirals after they lose HBeAg and achieve undetectable viral load?
  9. Liver cancer risk remains, even after HBsAg clearance in older, male patients
  10. Experts say treatment is needed when ALT levels are only moderately elevated

Continue reading "AASLD 2014 Liver Meeting – HBV Coverage" →

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HBV Journal Review – November 2014

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Experts Say Breastfeeding While Taking Antivirals Is Safe
  • Doctors Fail to Adequately Treat HBV-Infected Women After Childbirth
  • Doctors Continue to Fail to Screen Asian-Americans for Hepatitis B
  • Statins Protect Hepatitis B Patients Against Heart Disease and Liver Cancer
  • New Study Finds Antivirals Lower Liver Cancer Risk
  • Studies Find Tenofovir Lowers Viral Load Faster Than Entecavir
  • Liver Transplants Safe in Older Hepatitis B Patients
  • Scientists Develop Micro Weapon to Disable HBV’s Cancer-Causing X Protein
  • Foreign-Born U.S. Residents Less Likely to Be Immunized
  • Antivirals Can Safely Replace HBIG Following Liver Transplantation
  • All Hepatitis B Patients Appear at Risk from Chemotherapy

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – November 2014" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review – September 2014

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • New Study Finds HBV Genotype E Responds Poorly to Entecavir
  • HBV Genotypes Help Tell the Human Story of Slavery in the Americas
  • Researchers Find Tenofovir Increases Hip Bone Loss in Older Patients
  • Decline in HBV RNA Indicates Who Loses HBeAg During Antiviral Treatment
  •  Shortened Vaccination Schedule May Get More Drug Users Immunized
  • Primary Care Doctors Rarely Screen Patients for Cirrhosis
  • Tenofovir or Telbivudine Recommended for Pregnant Women with High Viral Loads
  • Access to Healthy Food Vital for HBV Patients, but Many Live in Food “Deserts”
  • Scientists Create Viable Liver Cells in a Lab for HBV Research
  • Nerve Damage Prompts Warning Against Telbivudine-Interferon Combo Treatment

HBV Journal Review

September 1, 2014
Volume 11, Issue 9
by Christine M. Kukka

New Study Finds HBV Genotype E Responds Poorly to Entecavir
Experts know some hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains called genotypes respond better to interferon treatment than others, but now scientists are discovering that genotypes respond differently to antiviral treatment too.

HBV genotypes are found in different regions of the world and each evolved over centuries to have slightly different molecular make-ups with unique traits. Some carry a higher risk of liver damage and cancer, while other genotypes are less virulent.

In a recent study, Italian researchers compared how well patients with genotypes A, D and E fared after three years of treatment with the antiviral entecavir (Baraclude). All of the patients tested negative for the hepatitis B “e” antigen (HBeAg-negative). The scientists measured hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and HBV DNA (viral load) every three months during the first year of treatment and then every six months over the study period.

They found the rates of HBsAg declines resulting from antiviral treatment varied markedly between genotypes. They extrapolated how many years of entecavir treatment each genotype required before a patient would clear HBsAg and achieve undetectable viral load.

HBV genotype A: It would take on average 15.6 years of entecavir treatment for an HBeAg-negative patient with HBV genotype A to lose HBsAg. This genotype is found in northern Europe, North America, India and southern Africa.

HBV genotype D: It would take 17 years for genotype D patients to lose HBsAg. This strain is found primarily in Russia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, and India.

HBV genotype E: This genotype, found in Central Africa, responded the most poorly to entecavir. Scientists estimated it would take 24.6 years for these patients to lose HBsAg, according to the report published in the August issue of the Journal of Medical Virology.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25131947

HBV Genotypes Help Tell the Human Story of Slavery in the Americas
Because HBV genotypes develop in specific regions around the world, their distribution around the world today can help tell the story of mass human migrations, including the enslavement and forced migration of millions of Africans to Brazil since the 1500s.

Read the HBV Journal Review in its entirety here. 

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer

HBV Journal Review – July 2014

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Ground-Breaking Study Finds Antiviral Treatment Does Reduce Cancer Risk
  • Sequential Treatment of Antivirals Followed by Interferon Spurs HBeAg Seroconversio
  • Is the Current Recommended Dose of Entecavir Too Low for Some Patients?
  • Measuring Liver Stiffness, Spleen Size and Platelets Can Predict Cancer Risk
  • Tenofovir Effective in Patients with Lamivudine Resistance
  • Entecavir and Adefovir Combo Works Best in Lamivudine-Resistant Patients
  • When Is It Safe to Stop Antivirals? Experts Still Not Sure
  • Liver Stiffness Test Identifies Which Patients Develop Liver Damage After Treatment Stops
  • Study Suggest Hepatitis B Immunization Could Cut Diabetes Risk by Half
  • Herbal Medication Treatment Linked to Liver Failure in Patient with Hepatitis B

HBV Journal Review

July 1, 2014
Volume 11, Issue 7
by Christine M. Kukka

Ground-Breaking Study Finds Antiviral Treatment Does Reduce Cancer Risk

For the first time, an authoritative study has found that antiviral treatment appears to reduce the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver cancer. Even though treated patients had more liver damage, their cancer rates were similar to untreated, healthier patients.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined the health records of 2,671 hepatitis B patients treated at four health centers across the U.S. between 1992 and 2011. Half of the patients were Asian-American and about 31% (820) had been treated with antivirals. The treated patients tended to have more liver damage, were older, male and less likely to be Asian-American than untreated patients in the study.

Researchers, reporting in the June issue of the journal ofClinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that 67 (3%) of the 2,671 patients developed liver cancer over the study period. Twenty of the 820 patients treated with antivirals developed cancer, compared to 47 of the 1,851 untreated patients.

Treated patients with viral loads less than 20,000 IU/mL had a significantly lower risk of cancer than untreated patients with similarly low viral loads.

Antivirals appeared to confer some protection against liver cancer even in patients with fibrosis (liver inflammation) and cirrhosis (liver scarring), suggesting that viral loads may be the primary culprit behind liver cancer. By suppressing viral load, liver cancer was avoided in many of these high-risk patients with serious liver damage.

Researchers wrote, “…We found that antiviral treatment had a beneficial effect across a spectrum of viral load levels (and disease severity.)”

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24107395

Sequential Treatment of Antivirals Followed by Interferon Spurs HBeAg Seroconversion 
Chinese researchers found that hepatitis B “e” antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients who were treated first with the antiviral entecavir (Baraclude) and then with pegylated interferon achieve a higher rate of HBeAg seroconversion (loss of HBeAg and development of “e” antibodies) than patients treated with only entecavir.

Continue reading the HBV Journal Review…

 

Hepatitis B Treatment, Liver Cancer, Living with Hepatitis B

Antiviral Therapy May Prevent Liver Cancer in Hepatitis B patients

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Useful confirmation of what we already thought was true. Good news…

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – DETROIT, June 9, 2014  —

Researchers have found that antiviral therapy may be successful in preventing hepatitis B virus from developing into the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

That was the finding of a study published in the May issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Investigators from Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pa., and Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu, Hawaii and Portland, Ore. participated in the study, along with investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

According to the first-of-its-kind analysis of more than 2,600 adult participants with hepatitis B, those treated with antiviral therapy had a significantly lower occurrence of HCC during a five-year follow up period. Overall, 3 percent of patients developed HCC during the study’s timeframe. But patients who received antiviral therapy were 60 percent less likely to develop HCC than untreated patients.

“The results of this study allow us to reassure our patients that we are not just treating their viral levels, but that antiviral therapy may actually lessen their chance of developing liver cancer,” said the study’s lead investigator, Henry Ford Health System’s Stuart C. Gordon, M.D., who worked closely with Henry Ford Senior Scientist Mei Lu in Detroit. Continue reading here.

 

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute