Advances in the prevention and treatment of the high-risk population for hepatitis E / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

‍Hepatitis E virus （HEV） infection is one of the most common causes of acute viral hepatitis. Most patients with HEV infection are asymptomatic and the virus can be spontaneously eliminated. Pregnant women， the elderly， immunocompromised populations， patients with chronic liver disease， and individuals in close contact with HEV-infected animals are at a high risk for HEV infection. The recombinant hepatitis E vaccine HEV 239 is the only approved hepatitis E vaccine， with both short- and long-term protective efficacy. This vaccine has a favorable safety profile with few adverse events， and the high-risk populations should be given the priority to receive such vaccination. Immunocompromised individuals may develop chronic HEV infection. Ribavirin and interferon are currently the most commonly used antiviral drugs for the treatment of HEV infection； however， it still needs to develop safe and effective novel antiviral drugs for patients with contraindications to ribavirin or interferon or those who have no response to such therapy.