Clinical significance of hepatitis B e antigen level easurement during long-term lamivudine therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with e antigen positive

Figure 1 Clinical courses of HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B patients who were treated more than 36 mo among 136 patients in decrescendo group at 9 mo of lamivudine treatment. Decrescendo pattern, continuously decreasing HBeAg levels by more than 90% of pretreatment values over time; Decrescendo-crescendo pattern: continuous decrease by more than 90% of pretreatment values, and then progressively increasing.