Observation of plasma exchange in treatment of patients with chronic severe hepatitis B

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of plasma exchange in the treatment of patients with chronic severe hepatitis B.Methods Fourty seven patients with chronic severe hepatitis B were divided into two groups and conventional liver-protecting therapy was given to all patients in two groups. Additionally, plasma exchange was given to the treatment group simultaneously. Results After plasma exchange, the symptoms of patients improved. Total serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartase aminotransferase and prothrombin time significantly decreased. The incidence of side effects was 17.1%. The survival rate in PE treatment group was 61.11%, much higher than 31.03% in control(P0.05).Conclusions Plasma exchange is an effective and safe approach for the treatment of patients with chronic severe hepatitis B.