Evaluation of adverse reactions induced by adefovir dipivoxil in 85 chronic hepatitis B patients

ObjectiveTo evaluate the adverse reactions induced by adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsOne-hundred-and-twenty patients diagnosed with CHB between December 2007 and February 2012 and treated with a single conventional dosage of ADV ［10 mg once daily (OD); group A, n=85］ or another type of antiviral drug (100 mg OD lamivudine or 0.5 mg OD entecavir; group B, n=35) were analyzed. Pre-treatment routine urinalysis and renal function tests were normal for all patients. After treatment initiation, routine tests of blood, urine, liver function markers, and renal function markers were carried once out every four weeks for 12 weeks. Thereafter, routine tests of blood, urine, liver function markers, renal function markers, serum phosphorus, serum creatine kinase, and serum amylase were carried out once every 12 weeks. ResultsNine (10.59%) of the patients in group A showed abnormal urine test results, including positivity for urine protein or microscopic hematuria. Of these nine cases, the abnormal urinalysis parameters were transient for five (5.88%) and sustained for the other four (4.71%). In contrast, only one patient (2.86%) in group B showed transient abnormal urinalysis. However, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P＞0.05). Five (5.88%) patients in group A and only one (2.86%) patient in group B showed transiently increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN), but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P＞0.05). No other adverse reactions were observed in either of the groups. ConclusionIn general, ADV therapy, at a conventional dose, is a safe treatment modality for chronic hepatitis B patients. Some patients may develop abnormal urine parameters; if this abnormality is sustained, the therapeutic regimen should be modified accordingly.