Comparison of efficacy and renal safety of telbivudine and entecavir in treatment-naive elderly patients with chronic hepatitis B

BACKGROUNDData comparing the clinical outcomes of telbivudine (LdT) and entecavir (ETV) in elderly patients with chronic hepatitis B are limited. GOALSThe aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy and renal safety of LdT and ETV in treatment-naive elderly (≥60 years) patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODSA total of 33 patients treated with LdT were consecutively enrolled in the study. Each patient was matched on the basis of age, sex, and baseline hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels with three to four randomly selected controls treated with ETV. RESULTSClinical characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Higher cumulative HBeAg-seroconversion rates were observed in the LdT group than in the ETV group after 2 years (50 vs. 20%) and 3 years (50 vs. 26.67%) of treatment (all P