The antiviral treatment should be initiated before the development of cirrhosis

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection increases the risk of liver fibrosis,cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)(1).International guidelines recommend antiviral treatment for eligible patients to prevent the development of HCC and the progression of liver disease.However,there is discrepancy in these guidelines regarding treatment recommendations for patients with compensated cirrhosis and low-level viremia(LLV),defined as serum HBV-DNA level of 20-2,000 IU/mL(2-4).And data on the natural history of untreated compensated cirrhotic patients with LLV is limited.