Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the 201 chronic hepatitis B patients undergoing PEG-IFN treatment.
| HBeAg-positive | HBeAg-negative | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 118 | N = 83 | ||
| Age (y.) | 37.9 ± 9.2 | 46.4 ± 9.7 | <0.001 |
| Male (%) | 84 (71%) | 67 (89%) | 0.124 |
| ALT (U/L) | 222.4 ± 212.8 | 188.6 ± 177.5 | 0.237 |
| AST (U/L) | 110.6 ± 108.6 | 98.7 ± 91.8 | 0.334 |
| Platelets (x103/mm3) | 196.4 ± 46.8 | 180.8 ± 65 | 0.069 |
| HBsAg (IU/mL)* | 1702 (46 ~ 291588) | 1991 (34 ~ 50762) | 0.113 |
| HBV DNA (log IU/mL) | 7 ± 1.4 | 5.6 ± 1.5 | <0.001 |
| HBV DNA ≥2.5 × 107 IU/mL (%) | 59 (50%) | 11 (13%) | <0.001 |
| Treatment duration (weeks) | 26.7 ± 9 | 48.1 ± 1.8 | <0.001 |
| Treatment naïve (%) | 84 (71.2%) | 59 (71.1%) | 0.987 |
| Off-treatment follow-up period (y.) | 2.36 ± 1.14 | 2.04 ± 1.13 | 0.054 |
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV, hepatitis B virus Continuous variables are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation or median (range).
*One hundred and three HBeAg-positive and sixty HBeAg-negative CHB patients had a baseline qHBsAg level.