Incidence and predictors of hepatic decompensation

Antiviral agents have been used to treat patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, potent antiviral therapy has been reported to regress advanced liver cirrhosis in patients with CHB. In the study “Hepatic decompensation in cirrhotic patients receiving antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B”, it examined the incidence of hepatic decompensation in patients receiving antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis. Our results showed that hepatic decompensation was unusual but not fully eliminated in this population; only a third of decompensating events were secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma. (Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Sep 1;S1542-3565(20)31223-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2020.08.064. Online ahead of print.)

Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research is welcome to contact our key investigator Prof Vincent Wong in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, CUHK. Prof Wong’s research focuses on non-invasive assessment and treatment of chronic liver diseases.