Long-Term Outcome in Patients with Chronic HBV–Related Cirrhosis and Decompensation Due to Acute Flare

Acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) flare can lead to hepatic decompensation in patients with chronic HBV–related cirrhosis and can be effectively controlled with direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) therapy. However, it is unclear if presenting with HBV flare affects long-term outcomes in this setting.

To investigate this issue, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study in 511 patients with chronic HBV–related cirrhosis who began DAA therapy at the time of presentation with hepatic decompensation (defined as presenting with jaundice, elevated total bilirubin/international normalized ratio, and/or ascites/encephalopathy). Participants were enrolled between 2002 and 2018 and followed prospectively. Among them, 300 had an acute HBV flare at …