Source

Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Cpan11355@yahoo.com.

Abstract

Of the estimated 400 million patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) globally, around 75% are Asians, representing a clinically important sub-group with a higher risk of cirrhosis and hepatoacellular carcinoma than Caucasian patients. This review summarizes recent data from clinical long-term and real-life studies of entecavir and tenofovir, the recommended first-line oral therapies for treating CHB, in nucleos(t)ide-naïve Asian CHB patients with compensated or decompensated liver disease. Long-term treatment with entecavir or tenofovir achieved profound and durable virological suppression, and led to imaproved liver histology and function. The data presented in this review will help physicians in making evidence-based decisions choices regarding first-line antiviral therapy and long-term management in Asian CHB patients.