Therapeutic management of chronic hepatitis B in clinical practice: a region-wide survey.

Goals: To characterize the clinical and treatment pattern in a large population of hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients managed at tertiary referral centers in clinical practice.

Background: Successful treatment, either with interferon (IFN) or nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs), of chronic HBV infection is associated with improved long-term patient outcome. However, in clinical practice, the actual management of these patients is not well characterized, and data regarding treatment pattern in this setting are lacking.

Clinical and virological survey of patients with hepatitis B surface antigen in an Italian region: clinical considerations and disease burden.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in an Italian region, Liguria (1,572,000 inhabitants), by means of a network of 12 referral centers for liver diseases. All patients with HBV surface antigen followed throughout 2006 were included. Personal data, infectious status with risk factors, other non-infectious risk factors for liver disease, clinical status, and treatment were the questionnaire.

A significant proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis B who are candidates for antiviral treatment are untreated: A region-wide survey in Italy.

Background: Between 350 and 400 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and in Italy this figure is 1% to 2% in the general population. In clinical practice, however, it is not known how many patients chronically infected by HBV and eligible for antiviral therapy are not treated.

Aim: To characterize the clinical picture of untreated HBV patients, and to assess whether current experts' recommendations for treatment are actually applied.

Pegylated interferon and ribavirin in re-treatment of responder-relapser HCV patients.

Background: The re-treatment of patients who relapse after a course of standard interferon and ribavirin with pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin is an open issue.

Aims: To evaluate efficacy and safety of treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin and the role of early HCV-RNA assessment as a predictor of sustained response.

Patients: Between May 2001 and December 2002, 242 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in an open, regional, multicentre study.

A randomized trial of pegylated-interferon-alpha2a plus ribavirin with or without amantadine in the re-treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C not responding to standard interferon and ribavirin.

Background: There is yet no established treatment for chronic hepatitis C patients non-responder to standard interferon and ribavirin.

Aim: To evaluate efficacy and safety of pegylated-interferon-alpha2a plus ribavirin with or without amantadine in such patients.

Methods: 161 non-responders to standard interferon and ribavirin were randomized into two groups: 81 patients (Group 1) were given weekly Peg-IFN-alpha2a 180 microg plus ribavirin 1,000-1,200 mg/daily for 12 months, 80 patients (Group 2) received weekly Peg-IFN-alpha2a 180 microg plus ribavirin 1,000-1,200 mg/daily and amantadine 200 mg/daily for 12 months.