Antiviral efficacy of adefovir dipivoxil versus lamivudine in patients with chronic hepatitis B sequentially treated with lamivudine and adefovir due to lamivudine resistance

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of 44 patients with chronic hepatitis B sequentially treated with lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil

	Lamivudine	Adefovir	P
ALT level (IU/L)	310 ± 251	336 ± 379	NS
Total bilirubin level (mg/dL)	1.7 ± 2.1	1.5 ± 1.0	NS
Albumin level (g/dL)	3.8 ± 0.6	3.9 ± 0.7	NS
Positive for HBeAg [Nos. (%)]	39 (88.6)	33 (75.0)	NS
HBV DNA level (log copies/mL)1	7.64 ± 0.77	7.36 ± 1.16	NS

Values are expressed as mean ± SD.

¹Serum HBV DNA levels were measured by real time PCR (with a lower limit of 366 copies/mL) and log-transformed with the use of a base-10 scale. ALT: alanine aminotransferase; HBeAg: hepatitis B e antigen; HBV: hepatitis B virus; Adefovir: adefovir dipivoxil; NS: not significant.

Table 2 Types of lamivudine (LMV)-resistant mutations in 40¹ patients in whom analysis of LMV-resistant mutation was performed

Types of LMV-resistant mutations	Patients n (%)	HBV DNA level2
M204I	8 (20.0)	7.5 ± 0.7
M204V	1 (2.5)	8.03
M204I + L180M	19 (47.5)	7.5 ± 0.9
M204V + L180M	12 (30.0)	7.8 ± 0.5

¹In the remaining four patients, LMV-resistant mutations were diagnosed clinically by the reappearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA after HBV DNA negativization (determined by hybridization assay).

²Serum HBV DNA levels were measured by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with a lower limit of 366 copies/mL and subjected to log₁₀ transformation.

³HBV DNA level of mutation M204V was expressed only as a mean value because n = 1. LMV: lamivudine; HBV: hepatitis B virus.