Treatment of HBsAg-,HBeAg-positive chronic active hepatitis with adenine arabinoside. A case report with clinical remission and seroconversion to anti-HBs.

A 26-year-old patient developed HBsAg-, HBeAg-positive chronic active hepatitis arising from an acute infection 6 months earlier. Treatment with adenine arabinoside (Ara-A), 15 mg/kg/day administered as overnight infusions for three weeks, resulted in clinical and complete biochemical remission with normalisation of aminotransferases, loss of HBsAg, HBeAg and DNA polymerase, and appearance of Anti-HBs during follow-up for 9 months. Treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection using Ara-A for several weeks may be especially effective when initiated early in the course of the disease.