Timing of antiviral therapy for pregnant women with HBV infection and normal alanine aminotransferase level aged >30 years / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B （2022 edition） expanded the indications for antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The guidelines recommend to initiate antiviral therapy for patients with chronic HBV infection who have a normal alanine aminotransferase （ALT） level， positive HBV DNA， and an age of >30 years. However， for pregnant women aged >30 years， no consensus has been reached on whether to start antiviral therapy immediately. Some experts believe that pregnant women with a normal ALT level are mostly in the immune-tolerant phase， and antiviral therapy tends to have an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect； in addition， medication during pregnancy may affect the safety of mothers and fetuses. Therefore， it is not recommended to start antiviral therapy immediately in early pregnancy even if the pregnant women are aged >30 years. Other experts believe that immune changes of the body during pregnancy may be a special period for HBV immune clearance， and if the patients are aged >30 years， antiviral therapy should be initiated immediately even if the patient has a normal ALT level； pregnant women may get better virologic and even serological response. With a focus on the above issues， this article elaborates on the purpose， treatment timing， and drug withdrawal timing of antiviral therapy during pregnancy.