http://www.hbvadvocate.org/news/HBJ8.11.htm
More Drugs Found to Reactivate Hepatitis B in Patients with Current and Resolved Infections
While chemotherapy, which suppresses the immune system, is known to cause a resurgence of hepatitis B in patients with current or resolved infections, researchers are now finding that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-targeted therapies (called anti-TNF) used to treat rheumatic, digestive, and skin diseases also cause hepatitis B to recur.
Spanish researchers, writing in the October issue of the Baltimore Journal of Medicine, followed 89 patients who were HBsAb-positive and 168 patients who were hepatitis B core-antibody positive (indicating a resolved hepatitis B infection) who were treated with this class of immune-suppressing drugs.
Even when infections are resolved and surface antibodies are generated, small quantities of HBV are believed to linger in the liver, and may rebound if the immune system is weakened by illness or immune-suppressing drugs.
Among HBsAg-positive patients: HBV reactivation occurred in 35 (39%). The percentage was higher in patients who had been previously treated with the immune-suppressing drugs, and lower in those who simultaneously received antivirals to suppress HBV replication. Liver failure occurred in 5 patients, 4 of whom died. The drug Infliximab caused the highest rate of HBV resurgence and liver damage, compared with the drug etanercept in this group.
Among core antibody people, with resolved infections: Reactivation occurred in 9 (5%) cases, including 1 patient who died due to liver failure.
In summary, anti-TNF agents caused significant liver damage in HBsAg-positive patients, including elevated alanine transferaminase (ALT) levels in 42% (indicating liver cell injury or death), reappearance of HBV-DNA in 39%, and death from liver failure in 5%.
The rate of reactivation in people with resolved HBV infections was 7-fold lower than in HBsAg-positive patients.
The results show that preventive measures, including use of antivirals to suppress the infection, are needed in people treated with TNF-targeted drugs, according to the report published in the October issue of the Baltimore Journal of Medicine.
i mean hbsag negative without hbsab antibody and hbvdna und means nothing
hbv is like almost all viruses, like herpes, it will always be there, almost never totally cleared, you can only get immune control of it by hbsag negative and hbsab>10miu/ml or higher
you have also to remember that reumatic drugs, chemio, steroids and all drugs that suppress immune system reactivate hbv, so in case you have to take them in the future you have to tak eantivirals while on chemio and so on...
so what u mean is that Negative result doesn't indicate anything and i need to run the HBV DNA test to make sure.?
you are not clear if you dont have hbsab antibody higher than 10miu/ml and hbsag negative at the same time
i dont want to explain here clearance becaue you d get confused but without hbsab you can get back to hbsag pos and hbvdna detactable
stef i dont understand the details...am i clear of HBV and HCV according to that test result or do i need to go for the DNA test?
hbsab>10miu/ml while hbsag is negative is the only thing that indicates clearance and immunity of hbv
hbsab goes to 1000miu/ml usually when you clear, i d say at least 400 should be ok.
10miu/ml is protective after vaccine but in livers that never had hbv
are u 100%..is that mean i can finally move on?? i got tired of being worried about having HIV HBV and other craps...
that you don't have a HCV infection.
it seams that you don't have HBV or HCV infection :)