[Treatment recommendations of chronic hepatitis B. Did the world escape us?].

Chronic viral hepatitis B still remains serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem, that is mostly related to insufficient efficacy of available treatment options. This is the main reason of search for new recommendations and algorithms for optimizing procedures of patients selection and treatment. In this article we summarize informations collected from published recommendations of hepatologic scientific societies (EASL, AASLD, APASL) and independent groups of hepatologists, as well as therapeutic programs of Polish National Health Fund (NFZ). Principal criteria for patients selection include sera HBV-DNA concentration and alanine aminotransferase activity, but in some cases additional evaluation of histologic activity in liver biopsy can be necessary. Currently available medication used for HBV infection treatment are: adefovir, entecavir, lamivudine and pegylated interferon alfa 2a. The last two are most frequently prescribed in Poland, whereas use of adefovir and entecavir is limited due to lack of appropriate therapeutic programs covered by NFZ.