Patients and Methods: One hundred and seventy four treatment-naTve HBeAg-positive CHB patients had been treated with ETV for at least 1 year. Serum HBsAg was measured with the Abbott Architect HBsAg QT assay. The qHBsAg levels were determined at baseline, at the time of HBeAg loss and/or seroconversion, and then annually after HBeAg loss. Additional therapy following HBeAg loss was defined as consolidation therapy in the current study. Results: During the mean treatment duration of 51 ±21 months, 90 out of 174 patients (51.7%) achieved HBeAg loss and this website 51 patients

(29.3%) achieved HBeAg seroconversion. Twenty-six patients achieved HBeAg loss and seroconversion concurrently and 25 patients achieved 3-Methyladenine chemical structure HBeAg seroconversion with a median interval of 3.0±11.5 (0.75-47) months following HBeAg loss. The mean treatment duration and the mean time

to HBeAg loss for the 90 patients was 51.2±19.4 and 25.1 ±20.1 months, respectively. Seventy three (81.1%), 27 (30%), 12 (13.3%), 7 (7.9%), and 4 (4.4%) patients had received 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of consolidation therapy following HBeAg loss, respectively. The median qHBsAg decline from HBeAg loss to HBeAg seroconversion in the 25 patients was 0.0±0.06 log10 IU/ mL. Among 73 patients with at least one year of consolidation therapy, the median decline in qHBsAg levels from baseline to HBeAg loss, and from HBeAg loss to one year after HBeAg loss were 0.36±0.80 (P<0.0001) and 0.00±0.23 (P=0.7304) log10 IU/mL, respectively. Among 27 patients with at least two years of consolidation therapy, the median decline in qHB-sAg levels from baseline to HBeAg loss, from HBeAg loss to one year after HBeAg loss, and from one year to two years after HBeAg loss were 0.27±0.57 (P=0.0017),

0.04±0.37 (P=0.9896), and 0.10±0.26 log10 IU/mL (P=0.009), respectively. Among 12 patients with at least three years of consolidation Thymidine kinase therapy, the median decline in qHBsAg levels from baseline to HBeAg loss, from HBeAg loss to one year after HBeAg loss, from one year to two years, and from two years to three years after HBeAg loss were 0.41 ±0.49 (P=0.0244), 0.01 ±0.44 (P=0.9697), 0.10±0.31 (P=0.0273), and 0.08±0.21 log10 IU/mL (P=0.0137), respectively. Conclusion: Long-term ETV therapy is associated with a significant qHBsAg decline from baseline to HBeAg loss, and during the second and third, but not the first year of consolidation therapy following HBeAg loss in HBeAg-positive CHB patients.