A fatal case of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation during long-term, very-low-dose steroid treatment in an inactive HBV carrier

A fatal case of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation during long-term, very-low-dose steroid treatment in an inactive HBV carrier

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be reactivated after chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy, and therefore administration of antiviral agents before such treatment is recommended. Most reported cases of reactivation are associated with high doses of immunosuppressive agents or combination therapy. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bae, Joong Ho, Sohn, Joo Hyun, Lee, Hye Soon, Park, Hye Sun, Hyun, Yil Sik, Kim, Tae Yeob, Eun, Chang Soo, Jeon, Yong Cheol, Han, Dong Soo
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver 2012
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3415881/
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Summary:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be reactivated after chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy, and therefore administration of antiviral agents before such treatment is recommended. Most reported cases of reactivation are associated with high doses of immunosuppressive agents or combination therapy. We present a case of a previously inactive HBV carrier with an acute severe flare-up during a long-term, very-low-dose (2.5 mg/day) steroid treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. We suggest that even a minimal dose of single-regimen oral steroid can cause reactivation of indolent, inactive HBV.

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