Roadmap for Patients Receiving Oral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B and Quantification of HBV DNA、HBeAg and HBsAg level

Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a serious health problem because of its worldwide distribution and potential adverse sequelae.The main goals of chronic hepatitis B treatment should be the long-term suppression of viral replication to minimize disease progression and the risk for the development of liver cirrhosis,liver failure,and HCC.Currently,available antiviral drugs include interferons and oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogs.Resistance is a major concern during long-term oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogs therapy.Roadmap concept was developed to monitor viral resistance and predict outcomes.It recommends monitoring of serum HBV DNA levels to identify outcomes of therapy.Quantitative hepatitis B virus e antigen(HBeAg) and hepatitis B virus surface antigen(HBsAg)are not suitable for monitoring patients in roadmap because of low HBeAg seroconversion rate and HBsAg seroclearance rate.However,they may be appropriate predictors for therapeutic response in patients using pegylaled IFN(peg-IFN).