Similar Risk of Renal Events Among Patients Treated With Tenofovir or Entecavir for Chronic Hepatitis B

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Tenofovir is a nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor approved for treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection, as well as chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We evaluated nephrotoxicity among patients with CHB treated with tenofovir. METHODS: We performed a community-based, retrospective cohort study of 80 patients with CHB who received tenofovir, alone or in a combination regimen; they were matched for age and sex with 80 CHB patients who received only entecavir. Incidences of serum creatinine (SCr) increase >= 0.2 mg/dL and new SCr levels of 1.5, 2.0, or 2.5 mg/dL were assessed. Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min, calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease or Cockcroft-Gault formula, or who had >= 20% decrease in eGFR were also recorded. RESULTS: More patients given entecavir had increases in SCr >= 2.5 mg/dL (1 vs 6; P = .053), whereas more patients given tenofovir had a new Cockcroft-Gault eGFR of <60 mL/min (15 vs 6; P = .022) and at least 1 dose adjustment (13 vs 4; P = .021). By multivariate analysis, the only significant factors associated with an increase in SCr were a history of organ transplantation (adjusted odds ratio, 6.740; 95% confidence interval, 1.799 - 28.250; P = .005) and pre-existing renal insufficiency (adjusted odds ratio, 10.960; 95% confidence interval, 2.419-48.850; P = .002). No factors, including therapy assignment, were associated with a new eGFR <60 mL/min. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of renal function indicated that patients who received tenofovir were no more likely to have changes in renal function than patients treated with entecavir. History of transplant and pre-existing renal insufficiency were the only factors independently associated with increases in SCr.