Frequency and mutation patterns of resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs in add-on and switch strategies.

Background: Treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) has improved over the last 10 years mainly due to the development of effective oral antiviral agents [nucleoside/nucleotide analogs (NUCs)].

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to identify the frequency and major patterns of resistance to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a Turkish population of CHB patients treated with NUCs using add-on and switch therapy strategies.

Patients And Methods: The investigation involved a total of 194 patients (88 were treated using add-on therapy, and 106 were treated using switch therapy). We analyzed the HBV polymerase gene by amplification and direct sequencing procedures.

Results: Primary drug-resistance mutations were detected in 84 patients (43%; 42 in add-on therapy, and 42 in switch therapy) taking lamivudine (LAM), 10 patients (5%; 6 in add-on therapy, and 4 in switch therapy) taking entecavir (ETV), and 16 patients (8%; 8 in add-on therapy, and 8 in switch therapy) taking adefovir (ADV). The most common LAM and ETV resistance mutations were rtM204I/V, rtL180M and rtT184A/I/S, respectively, while rtA181T/V and rtN236T substitutions were the most frequently observed ADV resistance mutations.

Conclusions: Patients with CHB who developed NUC resistance were managed using 2 different rescue strategies. The frequency and mutation pattern of resistance were similar in patients treated with add-on and switch strategies. These findings may be helpful in the management of rescue strategies in LAM-resistant patients.