Antiviral therapy reduces rebleeding rate in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis with acute variceal bleeding after endotherapy

The preventive effects of antiviral therapy to reduce rebleeding rate in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis undergoing endoscopic treatment have not yet been reported. In this retrospective cohort study, 1139 patients with chronic hepatitis B with first acute variceal bleeding after endoscopic therapy from September 2008 to December 2017 were included. Among them, 923 who received and 216 who did not receive antiviral therapy were followed up for rebleeding. Cumulative rebleeding rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the effects of antiviral therapy on rebleeding risk. The propensity score matched method and inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis were used to calculate the rebleeding rate between the antiviral and non-antiviral groups. The rebleeding rates were 40.5, 60.7, 72.6, and 89.2% in antiviral group at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, respectively. The corresponding rebleeding rates in the non-antiviral group were 54.2, 72.4, 84.4, and 93.3%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that antiviral therapy was an independent protective factor associated with rebleeding. Antiviral treatment significantly reduced rebleeding rate in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis who received endoscopic treatment after the first variceal bleeding.