Hep B Blog

HBV Journal Review – June 2013

HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

• U.S. Doctors Failing to Treat Patients Who Need Treatment
• Doctors Say Poor Training and Limited Resources Contribute to
Substandard Care • More Proof—Many Patients with Slightly Elevated ALTs
Have Fibrosis • Tenofovir Reduces Viral Load in HBeAg-Positive Patients
Faster than Entecavir • Researchers Find Tenofovir Does Not Damage
Kidneys • Tenofovir and Entecavir Highly Effective—If Taken as
Prescribed • Family History of Liver Cancer Boosts Cancer Risk to 15.8%
Among HBV-Infected • Vitamin D Deficiencies Found in People with High
Viral Loads • More Evidence Shows Breastfeeding Does Not Transmit HBV
Infection • Cesareans Do Not Reduce Mother-to-Child HBV Infection
• 2% of HBV Genotype D Adults Lose HBsAg Annually

HBV Journal Review

June 1, 2013, Vol 10, no 6
by Christine M. Kukka

U.S. Doctors Failing to Treat Patients Who Need Treatment
Fewer than 50% of patients infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) who need treatment get antivirals or interferon from their primary care doctors and fewer than 70% of patients who go to university liver clinics get appropriate treatment, according to research presented at the Digestive Disease Week medical conference held in Orlando in May.

Stanford University researchers conducted a real-life study to see what percentage of 1,976 hepatitis B patients treated in various clinical settings over four years received treatment. They used current medical guidelines when evaluating whether patients received appropriate treatment.

Continue reading about this and additional studies…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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