Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who were treated with Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF) for at least one year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 133 patients diagnosed with CHB and treated with TAF between June 2018 and June 2022 were screened. Biochemical, serological, and molecular data, patient complaints, and physical examination findings were scanned. These collected data were reviewed retrospectively to investigate their relationship with TAF. RESULTS: In this study, 78 patients were included. The median (minimum-maximum) age of the patients was 56.5 (24-84) years, and 52.6% of them were male. Of the patients, 74.4% were treatment-experienced and 85.9% were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative. Virological response rates at the 12(th), 24(th), and 36(th) months were 88.5%, 81.3%, and 100%, respectively. Biochemical response rates at the 12(th), 24(th), and 36(th) months were 72.7%, 90.9%, and 90.9%, respectively. Anti-HBe seroconversion with HBeAg loss occurred in two (18.2%) patients. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss was detected in only one (1.3%) patient. In 39.7% of the patients, a total of 44 symptoms or findings that could be associated with drug adverse events were found. The three most common adverse events were weight gain (11.5%), weight loss (8.9%), and pruritus (8.9%). Treatment was discontinued in one patient (1.3%) due to the detection of hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSION: TAF is an effective and safe treatment option for CHB, controlling the disease and preventing complications. Further studies are needed, especially to investigate the metabolic effects of TAF.