The Quantitative Assay of HBeAg in Patients with HBeAg-positive CHB Receiving Telbivudine Therapy

Objective To explore the role of serum HBeAg quantification in predicting antiviral response in CHB patients treated by telbivudine.Methods Seventy-eight patients with HBeAg-positive CHB were included in the present study.Emzyme chemiluminescence immunoassay and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were used to assay the level of serum HBeAg and HBV DNA load during telbivudine treatment,respectively.The relationship between the amount of HBeAg at the baseline and during telbivudine therapy and the disappearance of HBV DNA or HBeAg was analyzed by using statistical software.Results After 48 week of telbivudine therapy,HBV DNAturned negative in 66 CHB patients(84.6%) and HBeAg was not detected in 28 CHB patients(36.6%).HBV DNA easily turned negative and HBeAg was easier disappeared in patients whose HBeAg level was under 436 s/co at the baseline or HBeAg level decreased 2.5 log10 at week 12 of treatment.Conclusion Quantitative assay of HBeAg in patients with HBeAg-positive CHB receiving telbivudine therapy might be used to evaluate the antiviral efficacy.