Pegylated interferon alpha in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in HBe negative patients

Among patients with chronic hepatitis B 30% there are HbeAg negative. In Europe the most of these patients are infected with genotype D HBV and live on The Mediterrane Basen. Molecular investigations were revealed presence of mutant HBV infection in this group of patients. The most common type of mutationts there are "precore stop codon" and dual mutation "basal core promoter". In clinical trials was revealed that treatment with interferon-alfa decreases staging, esspecially in treatment responders. On the base of the results of multicenter, randomized trial it was revealed that biochemical treatment response assessed as ALT activity normalisation was higer in patients receiving pegylated interferon. Similar in these groups of patients virologic response measured as HBV viral load <20.000 copies/ml was higher. Pegylated interferon seems to be the first drug for treatment of chronic hepatitis B.