Table 2.
Characteristics of RA patients with HBV-DNA detected in serum during DMARD therapy
| Case 1 | Case 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male/female | F | F |
| Age (years) | 67 | 80 |
| RA duration (months) | 540 | 276 |
| AST, IU/l (normal range 13–33 IU/l) | 8 | 18 |
| ALT, IU/l (normal range 6–42 IU/l) | 13 | 25 |
| Anti-HBc | Positive | Positive |
| HBsAg | Negative | Negative |
| Current and previous DMARDs (months) | ||
| Methotrexate (MTX) | 42 | 86 |
| Tacrolimus | 5 | − |
| Infliximab | − | 48 |
| Etanercept | − | 4 |
| Adalimumab | − | 15 |
| Prednisolone (PSL) | + | + |
| Current therapy | MTX + tacrolimus + PSL | MTX + adalimumab + PSL |
Data were obtained at the time of enrollment
RA rheumatoid arthritis, HBV hepatitis B virus, DMARD disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, AST aspartate aminotransferase, ALT alanine aminotransferase, Anti-HBc antibody against hepatitis B core antigen, HBsAg hepatitis B surface antigen, PSL prednisolone, MTX methotrexate