Hepatitis B Virus Reemerges with Long-term Nucleoside Analog Treatment

Results showed that during a mean follow-up of 38 months, 39 (26 percent) of patients had at least one VBT, and upon retesting, 38 percent of these patients did not have a VBT and 10 (38 percent) had no evidence of genotypic resistance.

A rebound of the Hepatitis B virus is common in patients receiving nucleoside analogs for chronic hepatitis B, according to a study from U-M hepatologists. But nearly 40% of the rebounds or virological breakthroughs (VBTs) were not related to antiviral drug resistance.

"This study underscores the need for patients to take their medicines regularly to derive optimal response," says lead author Anna S. Lok, M.D., professor of internal medicine in the University of Michigan Medical School's Division of Gastroenterology.

"These results emphasize that there is a danger of misdiagnosis of drug resistance and unnecessary modifications to treatment regimen when it could be patients not adhering to their drug regimen."