BACKGROUND: Selection of drugs for antiviral therapy of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) remains difficult. This study was undertaken to evaluate the short-term efficacy of entecavir versus lamivudine on hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative patients with ACLF.
METHODS:  The data of 182 HBeAg-negative patients with ACLF were retrospectively collected from patient profiles of the hospital. In these patients, 93 HBeAg-negative patients with ACLF were treated orally with 0.5 mg of entecavir and 89 were treated orally with 100 mg of lamivudine every day. The gender and age were matched between the two groups. Biochemical items, the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and HBV DNA level were matched at baseline between the two groups and monitored during treatment. The 3-month mortalities of the two groups were compared.
RESULTS: No significant differences were found in biochemical items, MELD score, and HBV DNA level at baseline (P>0.05). HBV DNA level decreased within 3 months in both groups (P<0.05), regardless of the pretreatment MELD score. In patients with the same range of pretreatment MELD scores, treatment duration, posttreatment HBV DNA levels, percentage of HBV DNA level <2.7 lg copies/mL, biochemical items, MELD scores and 3-month mortality were similar in the two groups (all P>0.05). Pretreatment MELD score was not related to posttreatment HBV DNA levels (P>0.05), but related to a 3-month mortality in both groups (both P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: In HBeAg-negative patients with ACLF, the short-term efficacy of entecavir versus lamivudine was similar. The degree of pretreatment liver failure significantly affected the outcome of treatment.