Table 1.
Current therapy regimens for chronic hepatitis B viral infection as recommended by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2023[68]
For adult patients | Treatment |
Immune-active CHB (HBeAg negative or positive) | Antiviral therapy as PEG-IFN, tenofovir, or entecavir to decrease the risk of liver complications |
Immune-tolerant CHB | Against antiviral therapy. Continuous monitoring of ALT levels at least every 6 mo for potential transition to immune-active or inactive CHB |
Immune-active CHB HBeAg-negative | Indefinite antiviral therapy, unless there is a strong indication for treatment withdrawal |
Compensated cirrhosis with low levels of viremia (< 2000 IU/mL) | Antiviral therapy to reduce the risk of decompensation, regardless of ALT level |
Decompensated cirrhosis with positive HBsAg | Indefinite antiviral therapy, irrespective of the level of HBV DNA, ALT, or HBeAg status to decrease risk of worsening the condition |
HBeAg-positive CHB without cirrhosis seroconvert to anti-HBe on NA therapy | Discontinue NAs after a period of treatment consolidation |
HBeAg-positive CHB with cirrhosis seroconvert to anti-HBe on therapy | Indefinite antiviral therapy unless there is a strong indication for treatment withdrawal |
For children (2 to < than 18 years) | Treatment |
HBeAg positive with elevated ALT and HBV DNA levels | Antiviral therapy (IFN-α, PEG-IFN, and NAs) aiming for achieving sustained HBeAg seroconversion. PEG-IFN-α is recommended for use compared to NAs due to absence of viral resistance and finite duration of treatment |
HBeAg-positive with persistently normal ALT, regardless of HBV DNA level | Against antiviral therapy |
ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; anti-HBe: Antibody to hepatitis B e antigen; CHB: Chronic hepatitis B viral infection; HBeAg: Hepatitis B e antigen; HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; IFN-α: Interferon-alpha; NAs: Nucleos(t)ide analogues; PEG-IFN: Pegylated interferon; PEG-IFN-α: Pegylated-interferon-alpha.