Hepatitis B reactivation: reducing the risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Correspondence to Prof Patrick T F Kennedy, Barts Liver Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London E1 2AT, UK; p.kennedy@qmul.ac.uk We would like to congratulate Lamb et al for the production of such a comprehensive guideline for the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).1 Further clarification is warranted regarding screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) prior to immunosuppression and subsequent management to reduce the risk of virus reactivation. Cost-effectiveness analyses comparing monitoring versus empirical use of antiviral prophylaxis therefore must be performed in the context of long-term immune suppression and should include measures of quality of life. [...]European evidence-based consensus on the prevention, diagnosis and management of opportunistic infections in inflammatory bowel disease.