Summary

The first source discusses the effectiveness of oral antiviral medications for Hepatitis B (HBV). While these medications are primarily thought to inhibit viral replication, recent studies show that they may also play a role in reducing the amount of viral DNA within the liver. This finding challenges the traditional view that these medications only prevent new infections. The second source provides evidence from a study that shows how tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), an antiviral medication, impacts the liver's immune microenvironment in HBV patients with mild liver damage. This study reveals that TDF treatment significantly reduces the amount of both integrated and non-integrated HBV DNA within the liver, suggesting that it may be more effective than previously thought. The third source highlights the characteristics of HBV integration in pediatric patients with chronic HBV infection. This study suggests that integration is more common in children compared to adults and may contribute to the accelerated loss of HBsAg in pediatric patients.

Sources:

https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2024/10/08/gutjnl-2024-332526

Treat or Not to Treat - B肝治療與否 | #BTheVoice #B肝之聲 EP09

一刀未剪 ～ 亞龍的B肝人生 | #B肝之聲 #BtheVoice

Jason contracted Hepatitis B and C due to a bone marrow transplant at a young age. Despite undergoing interferon treatment 12 years ago, he was unable to clear the viruses. Six years later, he successfully cured his hepatitis C using self-procured generic direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). To celebrate curing HCV, he went on a trip to Japan with his family, but fell ill upon arrival. He promptly returned to Taiwan and was hospitalized for acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B and was prepared for a liver transplantation...

Jamie discovered she had Hepatitis B during her freshman health check-up in college. Both her maternal grandmother and her mother have chronic Hepatitis B. With her ongoing battle against Lupus and undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, she had begun antiviral therapy for Hepatitis B. Jamie urges young individuals to speak out about their infections to combat stigma and anticipates more effective treatments in the future. She emphasizes that treating Hepatitis B is less costly than treating liver cancer, pointing to the importance of starting treatment early before it progresses to liver cancer.

羅同學在大學新生健康檢查時發現自己感染了B型肝炎。她的外祖母和母親也都有慢性B型肝炎病毒感染。由於她還患有紅斑性狼瘡並接受免疫抑制治療，因此她已開始對B型肝炎進行抗病毒藥物治療。Jamie 鼓勵年輕人勇敢講出自己的感染情況，以對抗社會污名，並期待未來有更有效的治療方法。她表示，治療B型肝炎的費用比治療肝癌要低廉，所以不要等到得了肝癌才開始治療B肝。