Guidelines on Hepatitis B and C Testing


Book Description

Testing and diagnosis of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection is the gateway for access to both prevention and treatment services, and is a crucial component of an effective response to the hepatitis epidemic. Early identification of persons with chronic HBV or HCV infection enables them to receive the necessary care and treatment to prevent or delay progression of liver disease. Testing also provides an opportunity to link people to interventions to reduce transmission, through counselling on risk behaviors and provision of prevention commodities (such as sterile needles and syringes) and hepatitis B vaccination. These are the first WHO guidelines on testing for chronic HBV and HCV infection and complement published guidance by WHO on the prevention, care and treatment of chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis B infection. These guidelines outline the public health approach to strengthening and expanding current testing practices for HBV and HCV, and are intended for use across age groups and populations.




Modern Concepts of Acute and Chronic Hepatitis


Book Description

The literature of medicine continues to expand at a remarkable pace. The number of papers and monographs published has increased dramatically in the past five years. Nowhere has this increase been as dramatic as in the field of acute and chronic hepatitis. Why then should there be still another book? Despite the sheer volume of words published, it is still difficult to find in anyone volume a compilation of all of the most significant work. Most mono graphs have considered either chronic or acute hepatitis, not both. Few works have addressed both the clinician and the basic scientist. This book addresses both of these audiences and considers both of these diseases. It was designed to provide an authoritative but concise assessment of our changing concepts of acute and chronic hepatitis. It covers what is currently known and, based on the most convincing research, believed about these diseases. To fulfill this ambitious goal, only authors with international reputations in their fields of expertise were invited to contribute. In the evolution of our current thoughts on the pathogenesis and manage ment of acute and chronic hepatitis, our ideas have changed several times. This book presents the facts as they are known today and, in areas where all the facts are not established, presents the well-founded opinions of those considered to be authorities. The authors present established and usually confirmed data and do not deal extensively with areas of speculation or unconfirmed material.




Eliminating the Public Health Problem of Hepatitis B and C in the United States


Book Description

Hepatitis B and C cause most cases of hepatitis in the United States and the world. The two diseases account for about a million deaths a year and 78 percent of world's hepatocellular carcinoma and more than half of all fatal cirrhosis. In 2013 viral hepatitis, of which hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the most common types, surpassed HIV and AIDS to become the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. The world now has the tools to prevent hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C. Perfect vaccination could eradicate HBV, but it would take two generations at least. In the meantime, there is no cure for the millions of people already infected. Conversely, there is no vaccine for HCV, but new direct-acting antivirals can cure 95 percent of chronic infections, though these drugs are unlikely to reach all chronically-infected people anytime soon. This report, the first of two, examines the feasibility of hepatitis B and C elimination in the United States and identifies critical success factors. The phase two report will outline a strategy for meeting the elimination goals discussed in this report.




Hepatitis and Liver Cancer


Book Description

The global epidemic of hepatitis B and C is a serious public health problem. Hepatitis B and C are the major causes of chronic liver disease and liver cancer in the world. In the next 10 years, 150,000 people in the United States will die from liver disease or liver cancer associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Today, between 800,000 and 1.4 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis B and between 2.7 and 3.9 million have chronic hepatitis C. People most at risk for hepatitis B and C often are the least likely to have access to medical services. Reducing the rates of illness and death associated with these diseases will require greater awareness and knowledge among health care workers, improved identification of at-risk people, and improved access to medical care. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease. Although federal public health officials recommend that all newborns, children, and at-risk adults receive the vaccine, about 46,000 new acute cases of the HBV infection emerge each year, including 1,000 in infants who acquire the infection during birth from their HBV-positive mothers. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, which is transmitted by direct exposure to infectious blood. Hepatitis and Liver Cancer identifies missed opportunities related to the prevention and control of HBV and HCV infections. The book presents ways to reduce the numbers of new HBV and HCV infections and the morbidity and mortality related to chronic viral hepatitis. It identifies priorities for research, policy, and action geared toward federal, state, and local public health officials, stakeholder, and advocacy groups and professional organizations.




Chronic Liver Failure


Book Description

Chronic liver failure is a frequent condition in clinical practice that encompasses all manifestations of patients with end-stage liver diseases. Chronic liver failure is a multiorgan syndrome that affects the liver, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, adrenal glands, and vascular, coagulation, and immune systems. Chronic Liver Failure: Mechanisms and Management covers for the first time all aspects of chronic liver failure in a single book, from pathogenesis to current management. Each chapter is written by a worldwide known expert in their area and all provide the latest state-of-the-art knowledge. This volume is specifically designed to provide answers to clinical questions to all doctors dealing with patients with liver diseases, not only clinical gastroenterologists and hepatologists, but also to internists, nephrologists, intensive care physicians, and transplant surgeons.




Hepatitis B Virus and Liver Disease


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive, state-of-the art review of HBV infection and liver disease. It discusses new data on basic and translational medicine, including the viral life cycle, the immunopathogenesis of virus-induced chronic hepatitis, viral and host genetic factors affecting disease progression, and the mechanism of virus-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, as well as their potential applications in daily clinical practice. The clinical aspects of chronic HBV infection are examined in chapters on the global epidemiology, efficacy of HBV vaccination, natural history, co-infections with HCV, HDV or HIV, and management of special populations including children, pregnant women and patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Further, it describes the advances and perspectives in the development of novel antiviral treatments as possible cures for HBV infection. The book is a valuable resource for medical students, physicians, and researchers who are interested in managem ent of patients with chronic HBV infection and investigation of HBV infection.




Liver Pathophysiology


Book Description

Liver Pathophysiology: Therapies and Antioxidants is a complete volume on morphology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and treatment of liver diseases. It uses an integral approach towards the role of free radicals in the pathogenesis of hepatic injury, and how their deleterious effects may be abrogated by the use of antioxidants. Written by the most prominent authors in the field, this book will be of use to basic and clinical scientists and clinicians working in the biological sciences, especially those dedicated to the study and treatment of liver pathologies. Presents the most recent advances in hepatology, with a special focus on the role of oxidative stress in liver injury. Provides in vivo and in vitro models to study human liver pathology. Explains the beneficial effects of antioxidants on liver diseases. Contains the most recent and modern treatments of hepatic pathologies, including, but not limited to, stem cells repopulation, gene therapy and liver transplantation.




Chronic Hepatitis B: an Update, an Issue of Clinics in Liver Disease


Book Description

A recent Institute of Medicine report has concluded that "there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about chronic viral hepatitis on the part of health-care and social-service providers, as well as among at-risk populations, members of the public, and policy-makers. Due to the insufficient understanding about the extent and seriousness of this public-health problem, inadequate public resources are being allocated to prevention, control, and surveillance programs". It is with these concerns in mind that Dr. Tsai assembled a group of experts in this field to present their expertise in such a level, where the practicing clinicians who deal with this disease in their daily practice can understand thereby implement this knowledge into their own practice. Dr. Brian McMahon discusses the natural history of chronic hepatitis B with his vast knowledge and experience working with the high endemic population of Inuit in Alaska; Drs. Marc Ghany and Ed provide a very easy-to-understand description of HBV virology; Dr. Kyon-Mi Chang contributes an article on HBV immunology, which is the least understood area of this disease but has the most potential to improve our knowledge in the management of chronic hepatitis B; Dr. Anna Lok provides an authoritative review on the current issues and controversies of treatment of chronic hepatitis B; Dr. Stephen Locarnini, who has extensive experience in anti-viral resistance and its management, presents important issues in the usage of currently available anti-viral oral agents; Dr. Myron Tong discusses the current understanding of HBV carcinogenesis and updates HCC surveillance and treatment-- the most dreadful outcome of this disease; Dr. Paul Martin discusses management of end- stage chronic hepatitis B -anti-viral therapy, montherapy vs combo.therapy, choice of agent, when to start therapy and post-transplant patients including duration of HBIG therapy, HBcAb(+)only recipient) and Occult HBV infection; Dr. Tram Tran discuss the treatment in reproductive women, during pregnancy, and prevention of vertical transmission in third trimester with antiviral agents-- an area with significant lack of good clinical evidence; Dr. Steve Han discuss management of patients with acute hepatitis B, co-infection with HDV/HCV/HIV, pre-immuno-suppressive therapy, and management of renal and heart transplant patients with HBV infection; Dr. Mei Huei Chang discusses Taiwanese success in implementing universal vaccination leading to a remarkable reduction in both prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma; and finally Drs. Michelle Lai and Yun Fan Liaw provide a rundown of what we have accomplished and the hope for the future in our fight to control this disease.




CDC Yellow Book 2018: Health Information for International Travel


Book Description

THE ESSENTIAL WORK IN TRAVEL MEDICINE -- NOW COMPLETELY UPDATED FOR 2018 As unprecedented numbers of travelers cross international borders each day, the need for up-to-date, practical information about the health challenges posed by travel has never been greater. For both international travelers and the health professionals who care for them, the CDC Yellow Book 2018: Health Information for International Travel is the definitive guide to staying safe and healthy anywhere in the world. The fully revised and updated 2018 edition codifies the U.S. government's most current health guidelines and information for international travelers, including pretravel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts. The 2018 Yellow Book also addresses the needs of specific types of travelers, with dedicated sections on: · Precautions for pregnant travelers, immunocompromised travelers, and travelers with disabilities · Special considerations for newly arrived adoptees, immigrants, and refugees · Practical tips for last-minute or resource-limited travelers · Advice for air crews, humanitarian workers, missionaries, and others who provide care and support overseas Authored by a team of the world's most esteemed travel medicine experts, the Yellow Book is an essential resource for travelers -- and the clinicians overseeing their care -- at home and abroad.